#night sky

The Moon reaches its First Quarter phase on May 23, with about 48% of the visible face illuminated, offering an easy night-sky marker for where the current lunar cycle stands.

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is expected to peak overnight on May 5-6, with fast meteors from Halley’s Comet visible despite moonlight that may wash out dimmer streaks.

Astronomy watchers get a crowded month in 2026, starting with the Flower Moon on May 1 and ending with a second full moon on May 31, a calendar quirk that turns this month into a two-full-moon event.

A seasonal skywatching explainer revisits why some star patterns remain familiar year-round while others, such as Orion, are tied to particular months and hemispheres.

This year’s Lyrid meteor shower arrives with a major advantage: a moonless peak. That raises the odds that observers will catch bright meteors and occasional fireballs during one of the oldest recorded annual sky events.