What's up in Tonight's Sky

By Garry Beckstrom

May 2022

HERE'S WHAT TO LOOK FOR THIS MONTH

All descriptions below are for mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. EST is Eastern Standard Time in North America. EDT is Eastern Daylight Time in North America. We hope you'll find our night sky information fun and easy to use. To subscribe and get an email reminder of WHAT'S UP each month, send an email with "subscribe" in the subject line to List at BeckstromObservatory dot com

Happy Stargazing!

This Month's Video
The Moon in May
The Evening Sky in May
May Evening Star Map
The Morning Sky in May
May Morning Star Map
Neat things to look for on specific days in May
How to start Observing the Sky

THIS MONTH'S VIDEO

Go to Full Screen for best viewing.

THE MOON THIS MONTH

First Quarter Moon rises mid-day, is visible in the early evening sky, and sets in the middle of the night.

Full Moon rises around sunset, is visible all night, and sets around sunrise.

Last Quarter Moon rises in the middle of the night, is visible in the early morning sky before sunrise, and sets around mid-day.

New Moon is not visible as it is near the Sun in the sky.

DOWNLOAD A MOON MAP

Download a Moon Map to help you explore our neighbor in space. Moon Map with Labels Moon Map without Labels


WEIRD WAYS TO OBSERVE THE MOON

For some fun ways to observe the Moon visit our Weird Ways to Observe the Moon page.

THE MOON TODAY

THIS MONTH'S DAILY MOON PHASES

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THE EVENING SKY IN MAY

There is a Total Eclipse of the Moon this month the evening of May 15. This is the first of two lunar eclipses this year. Check out This Month's Video and go to May 15 below to find out when and where to look.

The only planet visible in the evening sky this month is Mercury, and it will disappear into the glare of the Sun by the end of the first week.

Your best chance to catch the little planet will be the evening of May 2 after sunset. On that evening looking west-northwest just above the horizon you'll find a pretty sight. A very thin crescent Moon is to the upper left of Mercury. The Pleiades star cluster (or Seven Sisters) is to the lower right of the planet. Lastly, the bright reddish star Aldebaran is to the left of the Moon.

You can use the Moon to help find Mercury. Also, be sure to get out your binoculars to check out the Pleiades.

Looking west-northwest 45 minutes after sunset on May 2

The Big Dipper is one of the keys to finding things in the sky.

Face north and you'll find the Big Dipper almost overhead during mid-evening this month. You can use the two stars at the front edge of the bowl of the dipper to draw an imaginary line to the star Polaris, also known as the North Star.

Notice that Polaris is not the brightest star in the sky as some believe. It's special, not for its brightness, but because it happens to be directly above the north pole of the Earth.

Polaris is also the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper.

Facing north mid-evening

Now face south during mid-evening and look high past overhead to once again find the Big Dipper.

Imagine that the Big Dipper is full of water, but has a leak in the bottom. As the water leaks out of the dipper it falls onto the back of the constellation Leo the Lion with its bright star Regulus marking the lion's heart.

Now go back to the Big Dipper and this time follow the arc of the handle of the dipper as it points to the bright orange star Arcturus the brightest star in the constellation Bootes the Herdsman.

You can continue a straight imaginary line from Arcturus down to another bright star, Spica. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden.

So now you've learned to Point to Polaris, Leap to Leo, Arc to Arcturus, and Spike to Spica in the spring evening sky.

Facing south mid-evening

For those of you with binoculars there's a really cool target to check out not far from the constellation Leo that you found above. It's the Coma Star Cluster. This star cluster is to the upper left of the triangle of stars that marks the back of Leo.

This cluster of stars is spread out somewhat and is known as an Open Star Cluster. There are 40 to 50 stars to check out in this pretty object.

For more information watch This Month's Video

The Coma Star Cluster

Want to dive a little deeper into the May evening sky? Check out the video below from the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Go toFull Screen for best effect.

There are many more constellation star patterns you can pick out using our easy, Basic Evening Star Map. Download it below, and have some fun!

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MAY EVENING STAR MAP

Download our Basic EVENING Star Map for May 2022 (pdf) May 2022 Basic Evening Star Map


(For star maps to print properly, download pdf and save to your computer, then print from there.)

Download our star maps to help you find your way around the sky.
Our basic star maps show the planets and major star patterns or constellations visible in the evening and morning skies this month, without faint background stars. This makes it easier to pick out the brighter patterns in the real sky. Hold the map over your head with "North" on the map facing the direction north. The middle of the circular map (marked "zenith") is the point directly over your head. The edges of the circular map mark the horizon all around you. Find one of the bright constellation patterns, ignoring fainter stars you might see in between. You can then jump from constellation to constellation, finding your way around the sky. It helps to use a dim, red flashlight so that you can see both the map and the sky together.

Are you ready to try a star map at the next level? If you are able to easily use our Basic Evening Star Map above and have a pair of binoculars to do a little more exploring, try this May evening star map from the Astronomical League.

Download the May 2022 AstroLeague Starmap (pdf) May 2022 AstroLeague Starmap


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THE MORNING SKY IN MAY

The Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower peaks on the morning of May 6. See May 6 below for more about when and where to look.

The early morning sky before sunrise continues to be where you'll find most of the visible planets. Venus and Jupiter appear bright and close together at the beginning of the month but will separate as time goes on. Fainter Mars and Saturn are strung out to the upper right of the brighter two planets.

You'll need to have a clear view to the east-southeastern horizon as dawn begins throughout the month to watch the dance of the planets.

Here's how the morning planets will look on May 15.

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise on May 15

Jupiter and Mars will slowly approach each other during the month and on May 29 they will come very close to each other from our point of view. This is called a conjunction. You won't want to miss it! Use your binoculars to get a close-up view.

See also May 29 below.

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise on May 29

Face south around an hour before sunrise this month.

High in the south are three bright stars that together are known as the Summer Triangle. This pattern dominates the evening sky in the summer. You get a preview of summer evening skies in the morning right now.

The Summer Triangle is not an official constellation though. The star Deneb is the brightest star in Cygnus the Swan; Vega is the brightest star in Lyra the Harp; and Altair is the brightest star in Aquila the Eagle. Still, it's pretty easy to just pick out the giant triangle these three stars form.

Looking south an hour before sunrise mid-month

In the evening sky, the Big Dipper was high, almost overhead. As you face north in the morning however you'll see that because of the rotation of the Earth during the night, the Big Dipper is now hanging down in the sky. Can you find Polaris, the North Star once you find the Big Dipper? What about "W" shape Cassiopeia?

Looking north an hour before sunrise mid-month

There are many more constellation star patterns you can pick out using our easy, Basic Morning Star Map. Download it below, and have some fun!

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MAY MORNING STAR MAP

Download our Basic MORNING Star Map for May 2022 (pdf) May 2022 Basic Morning Star Map


(For star maps to print properly, download pdf and save to your computer, then print from there.)

Download our star maps to help you find your way around the sky.
Our basic star maps show the planets and major star patterns or constellations visible in the evening and morning skies this month, without faint background stars. This makes it easier to pick out the brighter patterns in the real sky. Hold the map over your head with "North" on the map facing the direction north. The middle of the circular map (marked "zenith") is the point directly over your head. The edges of the circular map mark the horizon all around you. Find one of the bright constellation patterns, ignoring fainter stars you might see in between. You can then jump from constellation to constellation, finding your way around the sky. It helps to use a dim, red flashlight so that you can see both the map and the sky together.

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NEAT THINGS TO LOOK FOR ON SPECIFIC DAYS THIS MONTH

May 1
May 2
May 6
May 8
May 15
May 16
May 22
May 24
May 25
May 26
May 28
May 29
May 30

May 1 – MORNING – Venus and Jupiter start out the month close together in conjunction and by May 29 Jupiter and Mars are in conjunction.

Watch the dance of the planets throughout the month.

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise on May 1

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise on May 29

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May 2 – EVENING –Your best chance to catch the little planet Mercury will be this evening.

Look west-northwest just above the horizon after sunset. A very thin crescent Moon is to the upper left of Mercury. The Pleiades star cluster (or Seven Sisters) is to the lower right of the planet. Lastly, the bright reddish star Aldebaran is to the left of the Moon.

You can use the Moon to help find Mercury. Also, be sure to get out your binoculars to check out the Pleiades.

Mercury is the only planet visible in the evening sky this month and it will disappear into the glare of the Sun by the end of the first week.

Looking west-northwest 45 minutes after sunset on May 2

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May 6 – MORNING –The Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower peaks this morning. This is generally a good meteor shower for those in the Southern Hemisphere. However, observers in the United States will be able to see them too, especially as dawn approaches. It will be worth taking a look.

The radiant, or point in the sky where the meteors appear to come from if you trace their paths back, doesn't rise in the east until about 3 am. The almost First Quarter Moon will set between midnight and 1 am. That gives you all of the early morning hours before dawn with dark skies to watch for "Shooting Stars."

Mainly watch the eastern half of the sky, but remember it's possible for the meteors to appear anywhere in the sky and still trace back to the radiant point.

Below you can see the height of the radiant point above the horizon by about an hour before sunrise.

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise

These meteors are from debris spread out along the orbit or path of Comet Halley. When the Earth crosses the comet's orbit, bits of debris enter and burn up in our atmosphere creating the meteors you see.

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is active April 19 through May 28 as the Earth passes through the comet's debris field with the peak being this morning.

EVENING – The two bright stars to the right of the pretty crescent Moon this evening are Castor and Pollux. These are the stars that mark the heads of the Gemini Twins.

Looking west about 10 pm

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May 8 – EVENING – First Quarter Moon occurs at 8:21 p.m. EDT. The Moon is one quarter of the way around the Earth and appears half lit in the evening sky.

If you have a pair of binoculars or a small telescope check out the mountains and craters you can see along the Moon's day/night line.

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May 15 – EVENING –There is a Total Eclipse of the Moon tonight!

Unlike an eclipse of the Sun, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to look at, even with binoculars.

An eclipse of the Moon happens when the Moon passes directly through the Earth's Shadow.

Earth's shadow has a lighter outer part called the Penumbra and a dark inner part called the Umbra. The Moon slightly dims as it enters the penumbra, but it's usually hard to detect.

Some light from the Sun ends up passing the edge of the Earth, through the atmosphere, getting bent and turning the eclipsed Moon a reddish color.

The eclipse will be visible tonight anywhere the Moon is up. You can check out This Month's Video to find out where.

For the United States, if you live in the eastern U.S. the Moon will be well up in the South. Eclipse times are below.

For those in the central U.S. the eclipse will take place lower in the southeast. Times are below.

For those in the western U.S. the eclipse will begin as the Moon rises in the southeast, depending on how far west you are. Times are below.

Below is a animation of tonight's Eclipse of the Moon as it passes first through the lighter penumbra part of Earth's shadow, into the dark umbra, and out through the penumbra on the other side.

Notice how the Earth's shadow is curved as it falls across the Moon, proving that the Earth is round.

Here's hoping for clear skies for everyone tonight!

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May 16 – MORNING – Full Moonoccurs at 12:14 a.m. EDT. The Moon is now half way around the Earth in its orbit. The Earth is between the Moon and the Sun so we see the Moon fully lit except during the eclipse.  We now see the Moon opposite the Sun in the sky, so as the Sun sets, the Moon rises.

The Full Moon of May is called the Flower Moon because flowers come into bloom now.

Other names include the Corn Planting Moon, the Milk Moon, and the Budding Moon.

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May 22 – MORNING –The Moon glides along the line of morning planets over the next few days.

This morning you'll find the Moon just below the planet Saturn.

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise

Last Quarter Moon occurs at 2:43 p.m. EDT. The Moon is three-quarters of the way around the Earth now. It appears half lit in the early morning sky; the lit side always faces the Sun.

If you have a pair of binoculars or a small telescope check out the mountains and craters you can see along the Moon's day/night line.

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May 24 – MORNING –As Jupiter and Mars close in on each other by the end of the month, you'll find a crescent Moon to the lower right of the pair this morning.

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise

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May 25 – MORNING –A pretty crescent Moon is just below Jupiter and Mars this morning.

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise

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May 26 – MORNING –Can you find a very thin crescent Moon this morning to the upper right of brilliant Venus?

Looking east-southeast an hour before sunrise

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May 28 – MORNING – Jupiter and Mars will come closest to each other tomorrow morning. Follow the planets in binoculars.

Looking east-southeast 45 minutes before sunrise

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May 29 – MORNING – Jupiterand Mars are as close as they will get to each other. This is called a conjunction.

Looking east-southeast 45 minutes before sunrise

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May 30 – MORNING – Jupiter and Mars are beginning to move apart after their close approach yesterday morning. It's a cool sight in binoculars.

Looking east-southeast 45 minutes before sunrise

EVENING – New Moon occurs at 7:30 a.m. EDT.  The Moon is between the Earth and Sun and not visible. In a couple of days it will appear as a thin crescent in the evening in the west as it pulls away from the Sun from our point of view. You'll notice the crescent or lit side of the Moon will be facing the Sun.

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