The Moon stages some especially close encounters with several stars and planets this month. It teams up with Saturn and Mars in the dawn sky, along with Neptune, which is too faint to see with the eye alone. Mercury creeps in there as well, but it’s difficult to spot. The Moon snuggles especially close to Antares, the bright orange heart of the scorpion, near month’s end. The Summer Triangle begins to climb into the evening sky, along with Libra, the balance scales, a lead-in to the prominent summer constellation Scorpius. On the other hand, Leo, the lion, plunges head first toward the southwestern horizon.
The full Moon of May is known as the Milk Moon, Flower Moon, or Corn Moon.
Perigee May 5
Apogee May 17
Moon phases are Central Time.
The planet Saturn is in the dawn sky now. It looks like a bright golden star. Unlike a star, though, it doesn’t twinkle – its light holds steady. Tomorrow, it will stand close to the left of the Moon. The Moon will pass between Saturn and Mars the next morning.
Today is the date of Beltane, an ancient Celtic festival that was celebrated with bonfires. In Celtic culture, the date marked the beginning of summer, not the middle of spring as it does today. Some of Beltane’s traditions are preserved as May Day.
Cor Caroli, the Heart of Charles, is the brightest star of Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs. It’s to the right of the handle of the Big Dipper as night falls, and wheels above the dipper later on. It consists of two stars in a wide orbit around each other.
The constellation Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs, is high in the east this evening. To find it, look for bright yellow-orange Arcturus well up in the east as darkness falls. Canes Venatici is to the upper left of Arcturus.
Some of the brightest stars in all the night sky are in view early this evening. Sirius, the brightest of all, is low in the southwest. Orange Betelgeuse is well to its upper right, with Aldebaran to the lower right of Betelgeuse.
Boštes is in the east as night falls. Look for its brightest star, yellow-orange Arcturus. The first noticeable star to the left of Arcturus is Izar. To the eye alone, it looks like a single point of light. A telescope reveals two stars; one is orange, the other blue.
The brightest star in the night sky is getting ready to leave it for a while. Sirius, the Dog Star, is low in the southwest as night falls. Over the next few weeks it will sink deeper into the twilight then disappear from view.
Antares, the star that marks the bright orange heart of Scorpius, stands to the lower left of the Moon as they climb into good view tonight, after midnight. Antares will appear about the same distance to the upper right of the Moon tomorrow night.
The fourth-brightest star of Leo represents the lion’s hip. It’s named Delta Leonis as an indication of its ranking within the constellation. But it also has some older names, including Zosma, from an ancient Greek word that means “the girdle.”
The Moon is full at 6:49 p.m. CDT as it lines up opposite the Sun in our sky. Among other names, the full Moon of April is known as the Egg Moon, Grass Moon, or Pink Moon
