May Offers Peak Meteor Shower and Planetary Alignments for Skywatchers
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The Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks overnight on May 5 and 6, offering observers under dark skies dozens of meteors per hour. Throughout the month, several planetary alignments and a second full moon will provide additional viewing opportunities.
Facts First
- The Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks May 5–6, with dozens of meteors visible per hour under dark skies
- Mars, Saturn, and the crescent moon align above the eastern horizon on May 12 or 13
- A crescent moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury will be visible together in the western sky after sunset on May 18
- May 31 features the second full moon of the month, a phenomenon NASA states occurs roughly once every two to three years
- The Milky Way core rises around 11 p.m. on May 16, offering a view through the early morning
What Happened
The flower moon occurred on May 1. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower runs from late April through late May, with its peak occurring overnight on May 5 and 6. During the peak, observers under dark skies can see a few dozen meteors per hour, with the Southern Hemisphere experiencing higher rates than the Northern Hemisphere. The moon will be in its waning gibbous phase during the peak, which may wash out faint objects.
Why this Matters to You
If you enjoy stargazing, May provides several free and accessible viewing opportunities. You may be able to see dozens of meteors during the Eta Aquarids peak. Later in the month, you could spot a striking alignment of Mars, Saturn, and the crescent moon before sunrise, or see four celestial objects—the crescent moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury—together in the western sky after sunset. The Milky Way core will be visible overnight on May 16, and a second full moon on May 31 offers another chance for observation.
What's Next
After the meteor shower peak, the next notable alignments occur on May 12 or 13, when Mars, Saturn, and the crescent moon will be nearly in line above the eastern horizon approximately one hour before sunrise. By May 14, the moon will have thinned to a sliver and the three objects will form a loose pyramid shape. On May 18, after sunset, the crescent moon and Venus will be close together above the western horizon, with Jupiter located above them and Mercury on the western horizon, placing all four objects in the same general sweep of sky. Jupiter and Venus... will be approximately 14 degrees apart by Memorial Day. Mercury joins the western horizon in the second half of May and builds toward its greatest eastern elongation in mid-June.