What’s Up in the Night Sky? – May 2024

Fred Barrett | May 01, 2024

After the hubbub of the total solar eclipse earlier in April, I guess we’re back to the ordinary and supposedly less spectacular monthly events. But wait a sec! Our sky is essentially a smorgasbord with an infinite menu of objects and events that have the potential to provide a real hit of adrenaline! Sometimes with no warning! On the calmer side, the nighttime sky is just so peaceful and beautiful to gaze at and lose yourself and your thoughts within. Better than a pill any night.

This month action includes a meteor shower provided by a cluster of debris left behind by Halley’s comet some 3000 years ago. It’s called the Eta Aquariid shower and runs from April 19 to May 28, with a peak night on May 5. The radiant can be found in the constellation Aquarius that rises about 2 am EDT. Fortunately for us, the peak occurs just before the new Moon on the 7th and it will be out of the way. The best observing time is about 1 to 2 hours before morning twilight. I know that can be a hardship for some, but don’t forget that meteor streaks occur all night, just not as many earlier in the evening. At peak, about 50 per hour can be expected. Earlier in the evening, with the radiant still below the horizon, look for a number closer to 15. That’s not shabby. Also, there can be knots or concentrations of debris left behind by earlier or later passes of Halley’ comet and these can provide more frequent and brighter streaks in the sky. These are, sadly, unpredictable.

The evening sky will be without any planets after the first days of May when Mars and Jupiter shift there presence to early morning. Here’s a challenge for you. Check the eastern sky about an hour to a half hour before sunrise on the 6th. This challenge will be hard and binoculars are a must. Look for the thin crescent of the Moon very near the horizon. Just to its right your will see 4 planets rising up at an angle of about 30 degrees to the horizon in a near perfect straight line. Mercury is first, just 4 degrees away and off to the right side of the Moon, followed by Mars then Neptune (definitely binoculars) and finally Saturn. Mars is up and right of Mercury by 10 degrees or so. Neptune is about 5 degrees away from Mars and Saturn is about 16 degrees up and above Mars.

Highlights this month:

May 1: Last quarter Moon. May 4: Moon passes less than a degree north of Mars at 10 pm EDT. May 5: Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks. The Moon is at perigee – 361,054 Kms. May 6: Moon passes 4 degrees north of Mercury at 4am EDT. May 7: New Moon. May 15: First quarter Moon. May 17: Moon is at apogee – 402,291 Kms. May 23: Full Moon. This Full Moon can be called the Full Flower Moon. Flowers are popping all around my place! I call it the Full Peepers Moon. The symphony of the frog chorus at night is music, especially the peepers whose peeping gives me comfort that they and I have survived another winter. May 23: Moon passes just 4 degrees north of the bright star Antares at 11 pm EDT. Antares is at the top of the fishhook shaped constellation Scorpius which rises about about 9 pm EDT on May 1. May 30: Last Quarter Moon. May 31: Moon passes a half degree south of Saturn at 4 am EDT. The Moon is 0.02 degrees south of Neptune at 11 pm EDT. At least a modest scope is required for this observation. Give it a go with binoculars. Might as well and it’s a great test of observing skills.

Keep looking up! There’s certainly enough to see.

Don’t forget to check out events at the North Frontenac Dark Sky site, or, as it’s known now, the North Frontenac Astronomy Park and also check the Lennox and Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area for observing opportunities in the coming months.

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) website https://rasc.ca has a listing of astronomy events for Ontario and the Kingston branch of the RASC website lists events happening, especially in our area.

Feel free to contact me with questions or observations at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

I would like to know how you have done with the observing challenges I’ve chosen to tempt you.