Astronomical Calendar for May 2026

May brings increasingly pleasant skies for astronomical observation in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring reaches its peak splendor 🌼 and the nights, though shorter, continue to offer interesting events to enjoy with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope. This month we will have meteor showers, planetary conjunctions, lunar phases, and a spectacular parade of planets visible at both dawn and dusk.

Main astronomical events in May

🌕 May 1: Full Moon.

🌠 May 5 and 6: peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower.

🌗 May 9: Last Quarter Moon.

🪐 May 13 to 15: Conjunction of the Moon with Saturn and Mars at dawn.

🌑 May 16: New Moon.

🌒 May 18 to 20: Conjunction of the Moon with Venus and Jupiter at dusk.

🌓 May 23: First Quarter Moon.

🌕 May 31: Full Moon.

May brings longer days and springtime skies

The days continue to lengthen rapidly. On May 15, the Sun will rise in Madrid at 6:59 AM and set at 9:24 PM (Spanish Peninsular Time), providing almost 14 and a half hours of daylight ☀️.

The month begins and ends under the light of the full moon. After the full moon on the 1st, our satellite will gradually lose its brightness until it reaches the last quarter on the 9th. The New Moon will arrive on May 16, offering some of the darkest skies of the month, ideal for deep-sky observation and astrophotography. Afterwards, it will grow to the first quarter on the 23rd, culminating again in a full moon on May 31.

Eta Aquarids: May's meteor shower ☄️

One of the main protagonists of the month will be the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which will peak on the night of May 5-6.

These shooting stars are associated with the famous Halley's Comet and usually offer fast and bright meteors. This year, however, the observation will be partially affected by the presence of a waning gibbous Moon, which will add significant brightness to the sky.

Although they are visible from Spain and much of Europe, the Eta Aquarids are best enjoyed from the Southern Hemisphere and areas close to the tropics, such as the Canary Islands, where the radiant reaches a greater height above the horizon 👀.

To observe them, the ideal would be to find a dark place, away from light pollution, and look towards the eastern part of the sky before dawn.

Mars and Saturn will dominate the sunrises 🌅

During the early mornings of May, Mars and Saturn will be easily recognizable above the eastern horizon.

🔴 Mars will stand out for its characteristic reddish hue and will move through the constellation Pisces during the first half of the month, later entering Aries.

🪐 Saturn will appear very close to the red planet and will be slightly brighter. In addition, each day it will rise a little earlier, gaining prominence in the morning sky.

Between May 13 and 15, the Moon will visually approach both planets, forming an attractive conjunction visible before dawn.

Venus and Jupiter will shine at dusk ✨

The evening skies will be dominated by Venus and Jupiter.

🌟 Venus will continue to be the brightest object in the sky after sunset, visible above the western horizon until shortly after twilight. During May, it will slowly gain altitude as it traverses the region between Taurus and Gemini ♊.

Jupiter will also continue to accompany the May evenings, though for less and less time as the month progresses, gradually approaching the solar glare.

Between May 18 and 20, the crescent Moon will be positioned next to Venus and Jupiter, offering one of the most beautiful scenes of the month for observation and astrophotography 📸.

Mercury reappears at the end of May

The planet most difficult to observe with the naked eye will begin to become visible during the last days of the month.

⬆️ Mercury will gradually separate from the solar glare and gain altitude above the western horizon after sunset.

On May 31, we will be able to contemplate a beautiful evening alignment with Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter sharing the constellation of Gemini a few minutes after sunset 😲.

Tips for observing the sky in May

• Look for places away from urban lights.
• Check the weather before planning your observation.
• Bring binoculars or a telescope to better enjoy conjunctions and planets.
• Take advantage of the New Moon on May 16 to observe galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters.
• For the Eta Aquarids, adapt your vision to the darkness for at least 20 minutes.

May will be an excellent month to reconnect with the night sky and enjoy some of the most attractive astronomical events of spring 🌌