Explore the May Night Sky

                                                             What to see in the night skies in May
Meteor Showers

The Eta Aquarids peaks on May 5th to the 6th, it's active from Apr. 19th thru May 28th.
One  of the brightest stars within Aquarius is called Eta Aquarii, and these  meteors appear from this area of the constellation. (Eta Aquarii is one  of the four stars that make up the top of the "water jar.") This star  and the constellation is where we get the name for this shower: Eta  Aquarids.

The Planets
In  May, the planet Jupiter shines brightly, low in the evening  northwestern sky in Taurus. Our red neighbor Mars is visible much higher  in the constellations of Cancer and Leo. Subtle surface details of  Jupiter are best viewed early in the month because the giant planet  drops lower in the sky each evening as it approaches conjunction with  the Sun in June. 

After dusk in early May the morning planets  congregate and adorn the eastern horizon. Saturn, Neptune, o-so-bright  Venus, and Mercury all appear clustered together in the constellation of  Pisces. The first three are below the eastern fish and Mercury is  closer to the horizon, farther to the northeast. it moves into Aries on  the 11th. Venus is 2° from Neptune on the 3rd when the Moon and Mars are  arrayed next to the Beehive star cluster in Cancer. 

The Moon in May
The  New Moon of May is in Taurus on the 26th at 8:02 PM PST. The Full Moon  on the 12th at 9:56 PM PST in Aries is referred to as the Flower, Rose,  or Strawberry Moon. Colonial Americans called it the “Milk Moon”. To the  Celts it was the “Bright Moon”. It is the “Dragon Moon” for the  Chinese. Medieval English thought of it as the “Hare Moon”.
To  the Native Americans the Anishinaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) people  recognize it as Zaagibagaawi-giizis or Waabigwani-giizis (Budding or  Flower Moon). They have stories about the spirits of spring (Ziigwan),  late spring (Minookimi), and summer (Niibin). Spring is represented by  the constellation Mishi bizhiw –  the Great Lynx) and summer is  represented by the constellation (Nanaboujou) – the Protecting Spirit or  Sleeping Giant. Mishi bizhiw (who is also known as Curly Tail), is  located west of Virgo in Cancer and in the head of Leo in the  southeastern evening sky and (Nanaboujou) is within the constellation  Scorpius which rises in the east before midnight. Ontario’s Earth Haven  Farm presents cultural teachings of the Mississauga branch of the  Anishinabek Nation including the cycle of life and nature of the 13  Grandmother Moons. “The fifth moon of Creation is the Flower Moon, where  all plants display their Spirit sides for all the world to see. This  life-giving energy is one the most powerful healing medicines on Mother  Earth. During this moon we are encouraged to explore our Spiritual  essences.” 
The Moon is at Lunar Apogee  (maximum lunar distance of 252,428 mi. (63.69 Earth radii) on May 10 at  5:47 PM PST. Lunar Perigee is on May 25 at 6:34 PM PST when the Moon is  at 223,086 mi. (56.29 Earth radii).

The waxing crescent Moon  passes Mars on the 3rd, the day before the 1st quarter Moon. The waning  crescent passes Saturn and Neptune on the 22nd and Venus on the 23rd,  Before the New Moon on the 26th, a slender waning crescent Moon passes  Uranus. A slim waxing crescent Moon passes Mercury on the 27th. It last  passed Jupiter on April 30 and repeats the process on May 28.