Night Sky Tonight: Guide to stargazing in May 2026

In this guide we'll reveal what you can see in the night sky tonight, and throughout the month.

Our guide is centred around what's visible from the UK, but all northern hemisphere observers should be able to use it, with the odd adjustment to stated times.

May 2026 astronomy highlights

• 1 May: A Ganymede shadow transit on Jupiter
• 14 May: See a tricky morning Moon near Saturn and Mars
• 19 May: A waxing crescent Moon lies between bright Venus and Jupiter
• 23 May: The Lunar X and V clair-obscur effects are visible
• 31 May: A low-altitude ‘Blue Moon'

In our guide, we use Universal Time (UT) and British Summer Time (BST). UT is the standard time used by astronomers around the world. BST is one hour ahead of UT.

We also use RA (Right ascension)and dec. (declination).

These coordinates are the night sky’s equivalent of longitude and latitude, describing where an object is on the celestial ‘globe’.

For help with these, read our guide to celestial coordinates.

Read our guide on how to stargaze and sign up to receive the BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter every week.

If you're south of the equator, find out what you can see in the Southern Hemisphere night sky tonight.

Family stargazing tip for May 2026

Venus is currently moving closer to Jupiter, visible in the evening sky after sunset. Both planets are bright and relatively easy to find.

This month’s project is simply to keep a record of how close they are to one another using an ordinary ruler.

Record the date, time and distance between the planets measured on the ruler’s scale when it’s held at arm’s length, using the same person’s arm throughout the project.

Try to keep going into June, when the separation is really small, culminating in the 2026 Venus-Jupiter conjunction. The Moon will add a bit of extra excitement just after mid-month too.

Blue Moon 2026

May contains two full Moons; on 1 May and 31 May. This will almost certainly trigger a raft of ‘Blue Moon’ references, the second full Moon in a month often erroneously given this title. 

An astronomical season runs from solstice-to-equinox, equinox-to-solstice, and so on.

Typically, such seasons contain three full Moons, one per month.

However, the Moon’s phase cycle – technically its synodic month which equals 29.5 days, the period between repeating phases – is short enough that if a full Moon falls at the start of a month that isn’t February, another can slip in before the month expires, as per this month.

Each of the three Moons in a season is given a name, but the presence of an extra one messes this up.

Consequently, the third full Moon in a season containing four full Moons is known as a ‘Blue Moon’ to bring everything back into sync.

However, there was a misinterpretation of this definition, published in the 1940s, which stated that if a month contains two full Moons, it’s the second that is called a Blue Moon.

This error got traction, probably because it’s easier to understand.

So, just to be clear, the May 2026 Blue Moon isn’t a Blue Moon in the original sense: it’s the third full Moon in 2026’s astronomical spring. And it won’t turn blue either!

We’re still feeling the effects of a recent major lunar standstill, a consequence of how the Moon’s orbit is orientated to our own.

This point in an 18.6-year cycle has resulted in the mid-year full Moons appearing very low in the sky.

Both of May’s full Moon’s will be lower than average, with the one at the end of the month being the lower of the two.

Rather than turning blue, this full Moon is more likely to appear, yellow-orange due to low altitude.

Meteor shower

The full Moon at the start of May will be bad news for this year’s Eta Aquariid meteor shower.

Even under the best situation, this is a difficult shower to observe from the UK, it being better suited to more southerly latitudes.

Jupiter and Mercury

Two planets manage to put on a show despite difficult conditions this month.

On the evening of 1 May, a telescope view of Jupiter will show Ganymede’s shadow transiting the planet’s globe between 18:54-22:28 BST (17:54-21:28 UT).

You might struggle to find Jupiter for the first part of this event, but the end should be visible under darkening twilight.

Then, there’s Mercury which reaches superior conjunction on 14 May, but re-emerges into the evening sky in a strong fashion, setting just shy of two hours after the Sun on 31 May.

Antares

Although the length of night is approaching its minimum for the year, it’s still worth going out in the middle of May and looking towards the south to see the beautiful orange-hued colour of Antares (Alpha (α) Scorpii).

Representing the heart of a scorpion that never fully rises from the UK, Scorpius is a gate-keeper for the core of the Milky Way which follows on immediately to the east.

From the UK, you can see Antares has two fainter stars flanking it, mag. +2.8 Tau (τ) and +2.9 Sigma (σ).

Further to the west is an almost vertically arranged line of stars, which represents the Scorpion’s claws. 

Planets

Read our month-by-month guide to visible planets for the whole year

• Mercury: Superior conjunction 14 May, strong in evening sky second half of May. Sets 1h50m after sunset on 31 May.
• Venus: Evening planet, sets 3h after sunset. 6%-lit waxing Moon nearby on 18 May. close to M35 on 20 May.
• Mars: Morning planet not well placed in the dawn twilight. 
• Jupiter: Best in early May. 23%-lit waxing Moon nearby on 20 May. Venus close on 31 May.
• Saturn: Morning planet, poorly placed. Waning crescent Moon close on 13 and 14 May.
• Uranus: Too close to Sun to see well.
• Neptune: Not visible this month.

Night sky in May 2026, night-by-night

Friday 1 May

This afternoon at 18:23 BST (17:23 UT), the Moon reaches its full phase. Nothing particularly unusual about this, except that this is the first of two full Moons occurring this month.

Monday 4 May

At 03:00 BST (02:00 UT), the waning gibbous Moon sits 1.2° south of mag. +1.0 Antares (Alpha (α) Scorpii). At this time, both objects will be at their highest altitude above the southern horizon.

Tuesday 5 May

This morning sees the peak of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. Although not a good one to observe from the UK, due to its low-altitude radiant which rises shortly before dawn, the Eta Aquariids do have a decent peak rate of 55 meteors per hour.

Wednesday 6 May

Can you spot comet 10P/Tempel as it passes west to east through southern Aquila this month? The comet’s getting brighter but the approaching light summer skies will hinder views at the end of May.

Thursday 7 May

As the Moon’s evening terminator crosses the lunar disc, there’s an opportunity this evening to see the long shadows formed near the tricky-to-find 58km crater Wilkins.

Friday 8 May

Early May offers the chance to glimpse the bright summer Milky Way from a dark-sky location, before the bright evenings around the solstice hide it from view. 

Thursday 14 May

This morning’s 10%-lit waning crescent Moon is located near Saturn and Mars.

Friday 15 May

The absence of the Moon means this is a great time to explore the galaxy-rich region in Virgo known as Markarian’s Chain. 

Saturday 16 May

The Moon is new at 21:01 BST (20:01 UT), around 18 hours ahead of perigee tomorrow at 14:48 BST (13:48 UT), making this a perigee new Moon. Of course, you can’t see it, but it does mean the night sky will be as dark as it can possibly get!

Tuesday 19 May

From around 21:30 BST (20:30 UT) this evening, look out for a 13%-lit waxing crescent Moon between Venus and Jupiter above the west-northwest horizon.

Wednesday 20 May

This evening, the now 22%-lit waxing crescent Moon sits a little under 5° from mag. –1.8 Jupiter.

Saturday 23 May

A chance to see the popular lunar clair-obscur effects known as the Lunar X and V on the Moon this evening. The shadow play that forms the letters along the terminator line peaks after 22:00 BST (21:00 UT).

Sunday 24 May

Traditionally, the end of May is regarded as the start of noctilucent cloud season, which runs through to the beginning of August. 

Wednesday 27 May

The Moon’s natural rocking and rolling action is currently bringing its northern polar region
nicely into view.

Thursday 28 May

Minor planet 29 Amphitrite reaches opposition today, when it can be found at mag. +9.7 among the stars of Scorpius.

Friday 29 May

As the end of May approaches, brilliant Venus and Jupiter appear to be closing in on one another in the evening twilight after sunset. The spectacle is now well under way, with the closest approach happening early next month.

Sunday 31 May

At 09:45 BST (08:45 UT) today, we’ll get the second full Moon of the month. Frequently referred to as a Blue Moon, despite not fitting the original definition this particular full Moon will be very low in UK skies.

FAQs

What time is best for stargazing tonight?

It might sound obvious, but the best time for stargazing is when it's properly dark! That means when the Sun has truly set and the sky is at its darkest.

Having said that, not all objects visible in the sky tonight will be visible for the whole night. You might want to observe a planet that sets shortly after the Sun. Or you might be looking for the Moon before it has risen.

A good stargazing app will help you decide what you want to observe in the night sky tonight, where and when to look.

Do I need a telescope?

You don't need a telescope to get a good view of the night sky, and this is especially the case for beginners. If you have a clear night and a dark sky free from light pollution, there's a lot you can see.

Bright stars and constellations, bright planets, meteor showers and even distant star clusters can be seen with the naked eye.

Binoculars will get you a closer look at these objects, and you'd be surprised at what even a modest pair can do for your view of the night sky.

A telescope, however, takes things to the next level, giving you amazing detail on the surface of the Solar System planets and the Moon, and revealing objects that would be invisible to the naked eye.

What if it's cloudy tonight?

Keep an eye on the weather forecast; it may be due to clear later on in the evening. If you really are facing a night of clouds, however, there's not much you can do.

You could stay indoors instead and plan for future stargazing sessions. Take a look at the weather forecast for the coming week. Work out when you've got the best chance of having a clear sky and plan what you might want to observe in advance.

That way, when a clear night rolls around, you'll have a plan of action and will be able to get your stargazing underway much more quickly.

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