See a Meteor Shower, Planet Lineup, and More in the May 2025 Night Sky

Spring has officially sprung, and a night of stargazing is among the best ways to celebrate this change of season. May’s planet-packed stargazing lineup makes that easy.

This month has everything from a meteor shower peak to multiple moon-planet meetups. Don’t forget to keep an eye on northern lights activity this month as well. Since we’re in the peak period of aurora activity, a strong lights night could appear at any time. (Last year’s spectacular May aurora displays brought vivid lights to low latitudes around the world, from Hawaii to the Bahamas.)

While you can see many of May’s night-sky sights without instruments, a pair of stargazing binoculars is always nice to keep handy. More important, though, is finding a sky-watching locale with minimal light pollution. (Here are some of our favorite DarkSky-certified spots.)

With that, it’s time for the good stuff: here are the best stargazing events to bookmark this month.

May 3: Moon meets Mars with Beehive Star Cluster

On the night of May 3, Mars and a half moon will appear to nearly meet in the western sky. According to stargazing app SkySafari, the large Beehive star cluster, a swarm of 1,000 stars, will join the fun just left of Mars; you’ll need a pair of stargazing binoculars to see it. Mars and the moon will be visible right after sunset, and will stay in the sky until around 3:30 a.m. Look for Jupiter above the western horizon this night, too.

May 5-6: Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower Peaks

Point your eyes skyward early the mornings of May 5 and May 6 for the peak of Eta Aquariids activity. The Eta Aquariids meteor shower runs from April 15 to May 27, but it reaches its greatest period of productivity in the pre-dawn hours—an ideal time for sky-watching, as the moon sets around 3:40 a.m. You could see up to 60 meteors per hour during peak conditions and under dark, moonless skies, but the best viewing is in the southern U.S., and especially the southern hemisphere, according to EarthSky.org.

May 12: Full Flower Moon

The full flower moon—a name given for spring’s proliferation of blossoms—will grace our skies on May 12. It reaches peak illumination at 12:56 p.m. ET, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and you can enjoy the bright space rock the nights of May 11 and 12. It looks most dramatic as it rises in the evening, especially with structures on the horizon for scale, like buildings or trees. It will rise on the southeast horizon; don’t miss Mars and Jupiter above the western horizon, too.

May 22: The Crescent moon, Saturn, and Venus line up

In the pre-dawn hours of May 22, the thin crescent moon, Saturn, and Venus will appear in a relatively straight diagonal line above the east horizon. Saturn and the moon will hover closest to each other, while bright Venus will glow just to their left, directly above the eastern horizon. Watch the next morning, May 23, to see the moon in between Venus and Saturn.

May 31: Crescent moon meets Mars

The stargazing month closes out very much like it started—with the moon and Mars meeting in the sky again, according to SkySafari. The duo will appear above the western horizon after sunset; you can catch a glimpse of Jupiter near the northwest horizon early this evening as well.