Hi, I'm Sonia,
I have been into astronomy since 1997 when I was 11 years old when comet Hale-Bopp was around. I remember being in the back garden with my dad and he was showing me how to take a photo of it with his old Fujica camera, that I still have now.
Ever since then I've been fascinated with space. I started with a very cheap Tasco telescope from Argos to look at the moon, went onto a Meade goto ETX-90 telescope, which unfortunately due to age stopped working.
I currently use a Skywatcher 10" Dobsonian, to mostly photograph the moon and also the planets. I also have a Seestar S50 which got me into deep sky imaging which I love!
More recently I have also aquired a Seestar S30 and a Vespera II
lastly a Coronado PST for solar imaging.
I have two Bsc (Hons) open degrees in "Introducing Astronomy" and "The Planets"
Elected in 2023 I am a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
Along with my blog for StarDome, I'm also a freelancer for the BBC Sky at Night magazine
and a "Go Stargazing" Astronomer
Clear Skies
Sonia
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May 2026
May is when the night sky gets lighter, the evenings are getting warmer, steadier air and a sky shifting from spring’s galaxies towards the summer’s Milky Way. It’s a transition month, not a dramatic as August for December, but full of subtle, rewarding sights if you give it time.
Meteor Shower Highlights
Eta Aquarids (Peak 6th May) and could produce could up to 40 meteors per hour at peak. Best seen in the pre-dawn hours with the radiant low in Aquarius
Eta Lyrids (Peak 8th May) a light shower with around 3 meteors per hour.
Moon Highlights
New Moon on the 16th May, perfect for deep sky observing
Blue Moon 31st May – second full moon of the month.
Galaxy Highlights
The Sombrero galaxy (M104) A striking wide-brimmed galaxy about 31 million light-years, with a bright core and dramatic dust lane. It sits between Virgo and Corvus about 11.5o West of Spica.
It’s visible all month and makes a great target for binoculars and telescopes.
You can also explore Coma Berenices, the only constellation named after a real person, a delicate patch of sky full of star clusters and galaxies.
Constellations to look for
Virgo – high in the south, home to spica and countless galaxies
Bootes – With bright Arcturus guiding you across the sky
Coma Berenices – A misty cluster of stars
Crux (Southern Cross) Visible only from lower latitudes, but a major May highlight in the Southern Hemisphere.
As the month progresses the Milky Way Core begins to rise earlier, hinting at the rich Summer skies to come.
Planet Watch
Mercury and Venus will come together on the 20th May, you will be able to spot Mercury low down to the lower right of Venus. Mercury will be magnitude -0.6 and setting at around 11am.
Venus will be at its best of a magnitude -3.9 in a dark sky and setting at midnight when it comes to the end of May.
Venus and Jupiter become close, ready for a close conjunction in June.
Jupiter will be magnitude -1.9 and will be in the constellation Gemini, where you can see Castor and Pollux the twin bright stars. Jupiter will set around 1am.
Saturn will start to rise in the dawn sky in the constellation of Pisces and by the end of May it will rise around 3am.
The other planets Mars, Uranus and Neptune will be too close to the sun to observe.
So why is May Special?
May isn’t the flashiest month, but it’s one of the most balanced:
Enough darkness for deep sky observing
Mild temperatures for long sessions
A mix of Galaxies, meteors and rising summer stars.
Let’s take a look at one is coming up!
All-sky chart showing bright Jupiter and even-brighter Venus after sunset in April. Each day, Venus will ascend higher in the western twilight. Jupiter will move closer to the western horizon. They’ll have a spectacular close encounter in June. You can’t miss these 2 worlds. They outshine all the stars!
On the morning of May 4 and 5, the waning gibbous moon will be near the bright red star Antares. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius the Scorpion. Look for them before dawn
The radiant point of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower will be near the star Eta Aquarii in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. The radiant will rise in the wee hours after midnight and will continue climbing toward its highest point at dawn. That highest point will be in the south as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, closer to overhead for the Southern Hemisphere. That’s why the Southern Hemisphere will see more meteors (the radiant will be higher up), and it’s why – for all of us around the globe – the hours before dawn on May 5, 2026, will be best for this shower. The 2026 Eta Aquariids will compete with a bright waning gibbous moon, reducing how many meteors you might see.
On the evening of May 17, shortly after sunset, check out the pretty waxing crescent moon. It’ll hang low in the western sky after sunset. And it’ll be near the brilliant planet Venus. Look for them about an hour after sunset. Higher in the sky is the bright planet Jupiter. They’ll set a couple hours after sunset. Keep any eye on the 2 bright planets. They will be only 3-moon-widths apart around June 8. Spectacular! Also, look for the delicate glow of earthshine on the unlit side of the moon. That’s light reflected off the Earth.
On May 18, about 60 minutes after sunset, the waxing crescent moon will lie close to Venus. It’ll be glowing with earthshine. That’s light reflected off the Earth. On May 19, as darkness falls, the moon will lie between Venus and Jupiter. Then, on May 20, the moon will float close to Jupiter and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. They’ll set before midnight
In the first half of May, Saturn will sit low in the bright eastern twilight shortly before sunrise. And, nearby and closer to the horizon, look for the dimmer planet Mars. In the second half of May, Saturn will pull away from Mars, and Mars will slowly climb higher behind it.
Here is the sky dome view for May 2026. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location.
Heliocentric view of solar system
https://moonphases.co.uk/moon-calendar/2026/1/8
https://starwalk.space/en/news/upcoming-comets
May's night sky calendar
1st May - Full Moon
3rd May – Moon near Antares
6th May – Peak of the Eta Aquarids
9th May – Last Quarter Moon
14th May – Moon will be near Saturn
16th May – New Moon
18th May – Moon will be near Venus
19th May – Moon will be between Venus and Jupiter
20th May - Moon will be near Jupiter
22nd May – Moon will be near star Regulus
23rd May – First Quarter Moon
26th May Moon will be near star Spica
30th May – Moon near Antares
Clear skies everyone!
Sonia x
