Wednesday, April 29, 2026
May skies 2026
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| Eastern morning sky on Thursday, April 14 as seen from Adelaide at 6:04 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn, the crescent Moon and Mars form a triangle above the horizon. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise) | North-western sky on Tuesday, April 19 as seen from Adelaide at 18:16 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Venus and he thin crescent Moon are close together. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset) |
To be read in conjunction with the astrophiz podcast #233
| May | |
| 02 May 2026 | Full Moon |
| 02 May 2026 | Venus close to the Red star Aldebaran in the evening twilight |
| 04 May 2026 | Moon close to Antares in the morning twilight |
| 6-7 May 2026 | Eta Aquariid meteor shower |
| 14 May 2026 | Crescent Moon near Saturn in the morning twilight (3°) |
| 15 May 2026 | Crescent Moon near Mars in the morning twilight (3°) |
| 19 May 2026 | Crescent Moon near Venus in the evening twilight (3°) |
| 20 May 2026 | Crescent Moon near Jupiter in the evening twilight (3°) |
| 23 May 2026 | Moon close to Regulus in the evening sky |
| 31 May 2026 | Full Moon (Blue Moon and apogee Moon, apogee June 1 ). Occultation of Antares in early evening twilight. |
| May 2 | Full Moon |
| May 5 | Moon at apogee |
| May10 | Last Quarter Moon (ideal for star gazing) |
| May 17 | New Moon (also ideal for star gazing) |
| May 17 | Moon at perigee |
| May 23 | First Quarter Moon "Lunar X" visible |
| May 31 | Full Moon Moon (Blue Moon, difficult occultation of Antares) this is also an apogee Moon, where the moon is furthest from the Earth |
The eta Aquariid meteor shower, which is produced by the debris from Halley’s Comet, should peak on May 7 (strictly speaking May 6, 3UT). This year the waning gibbous moon interferes. Dark sky sites could expect to see meteor every 6 minutes.
Comets:
Comet C/2025 R3 has survived perihelion so we have a chance to view it after it is closest to the earth on April 27.
It
may be visible in Australia from the 27th if the brightest predictions
are correct (probably not) and from the 30th if more modest predictions
are correct. The comet is low in the twilight and may fade
substantially before it gets high enough in dark skies to see
properly. Nonetheless, at the very least it will be a nice little
binocular comet.
A printable B&W spotters chart and viewing guides are at my comet C/2025 R3 viewing page.
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).
Stars:
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| South-Eastern sky as seen from Adelaide at 18:47 ACST on May 17 (90 minutes after sunset at new Moon, click to embiggen). The constellation of Crux is prominent with Scorpius ring below. Omega Centauri is indicated by the box. Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen) | South-Western sky as seen from Adelaide at 18:47 ACST on May 17 (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Eta Carina id indicated by the circle. The large and Small Magellanic clouds are also visible. Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen) |
Orion the hunter is sinking low the west and his nemesis, Scorpius the scorpion, is rising in the east when the sky is fully dark.
It is almost galaxy season, with Sagittarius, and the heart of the Milky way, rising. At 10 pm local time, the southern cross is at its highest, and the magnificent globular cluster Omega Centauri is also at its highest. The False cross, the southern Pleiades and the riot of clusters are around eta Carina are also prominent.
Occultation of Antares 31 May:
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| The eastern sky at 17:19 ACST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Adelaide. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen | The eastern sky at 17:31 AEST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Sydney. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen | The eastern sky at 17:48 AEST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Melbourne. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen |
The occultation of Antares, the brightest start in Scorpio, on the 31st of May by the Full (blue) Moon will be difficult, low on the horizon starting at twilight. Telescope only, unaided eye and binoculars will not be enough.
| Place | Disappears Bright Limb | Reappears Dark Limb | Sun Set |
| Adelaide ACST | 17:19 | 17:35 | 17:20 |
| Brisbane AEST | 17:17 | 18:10 | 17:07 |
| Canberra AEST | 17:36 | 18:13 | 17:07 |
| Darwin ACST | - | - | 18:30 |
| Hobart AEST | - | - | 16:58 |
| Melbourne AEDST | 17:48 | 18:10 | 17:18 |
| Perth AWST | - | - | 17:27 |
| Sydney AEST | 17:31 | 18:4 | 17:02 |
Labels: Monthly sky
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