As twilight fades to night these May evenings,
Mars
stands out in the northern sky. It begins the month near the center of Cancer the Crab not far from the magnificent Beehive star cluster (M44). The planet passes less than 1° north of the cluster during May’s first week. Mars’ eastward motion carries it into Leo the Lion on May 26, and it ends the month slightly to the left of Leo’s famous Sickle asterism.
The Red Planet fades a bit during May, dipping from magnitude 0.9 to 1.2, but it remains prominent in part because of its striking color. Mars no longer appears great through a telescope, however, because its disk has slimmed to just 6″ in apparent diameter. Wait for moments of good seeing to view any details.
Jupiter
shines at magnitude –1.9 in mid-May. It gleams 16 times brighter than Mars and appears conspicuous in the northwest after nightfall in early May. The giant planet sets during twilight as the month winds down, however. Jupiter lies among the background stars of eastern Taurus, passing 1° north of the Crab Nebula (M1) at midmonth.
A telescope uncovers the gas giant’s 33-inch-wide disc along with two dark bands positioned on either side of a more luminous belt that aligns with the planet’s equator. Additionally, Jupiter’s four prominent satellites—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—are visible even through modest equipment.
Mars dips below the horizon before midnight local time, making the night sky devoid of visible planets for a few hours. However, by 4 a.m. local time, the dry spell comes to an end as Venus and Saturn rise above the eastern skyline. At the beginning of May, these two celestial bodies will be positioned approximately 4 degrees apart.
Venus
gleams with a brightness of –4.7 and serves as a clear marker in the early morning sky. Throughout much of May, the planet resides amongst the backdrop stars of southern Pisces the Fish; however, on the 12th, it briefly touches the edge of Cetus the Whale constellation. By the end of the month, Venus approaches its maximum angular distance from the Sun, occurring around June 1st.
A telescope reveals the rapid changes in both size and phase of the planet. By May 1st, Venus has a disc spanning 36 arcseconds with only 29% illuminated. As the month concludes, the planet’s diameter decreases to 24 arcseconds, and 49% of its Earth-facing side becomes sunlit.
Saturn
Venus stays in Pisces throughout the entire month but moves eastward more gradually compared to Venus, causing them to move further away from each other. By the end of the month, specifically March 31st, they will be almost 25 degrees apart. Meanwhile, Saturn glows with a brightness of magnitude 1.1, which represents only about one percent of Venus’s radiance yet remains notably brighter than even the most luminescent stars within the constellation Pisces.
With Saturn climbing higher in a dark sky every day, it puts on a great show through telescopes of all sizes. The rings remain backlit at the start of May, with Earth south of the ring plane and the Sun north of it. The Sun crosses to the south side on the 6th, returning the ringed planet to a more normal view that will last until we cross the ring plane again in October 2038. On May’s final morning, Saturn measures 17″ across while the rings span 38″ and tilt 3° to our line of sight. Also keep an eye out for 8th-magnitude Titan, Saturn’s brightest moon.
Our final planet graces the morning sky during the first three weeks of May.
Mercury
appears highest on the 1st, when it rises two hours before the Sun and lies about 15° below the Venus-Saturn pair. Mercury then shines at magnitude 0.1 and grows brighter as the days pass.
The most impressive sights through a telescope occur at the beginning of the month when the inner planet displays a partially illuminated disc about 7″ across. By late May, Mercury will vanish as it reaches superior conjunction on the 30th.
The starry sky
I’ve been conducting planetarium presentations for many years, and I consistently enjoy displaying the night sky as seen today and highlighting the constellations. Unfortunately, most of these celestial formations barely look like the objects or animals they’re supposed to represent, with some appearing entirely unrelated.
Therefore, which constellations are simplest for novice star gazers to recognize based on their named patterns? We should begin with those currently observable in our night sky.
Without a doubt, Crux the Southern Cross leads the pack. This small but prominent constellation stands out as it is almost directly above us during early evenings. Just below Crux, you can easily spot Triangulum Australe. It consists of three main stars forming an almost perfectly equilateral triangle. If we look at the angles formed by these stars in our night sky—Alpha (α), which sits at the base in tonight’s evening view—is about 7.7 degrees away from Beta (β). Meanwhile, Alpha (α) is approximately 8.1 degrees apart from Gamma (γ).
Rotate towards the eastern part of the sky, and you will spot two additional constellations that shouldn’t be too challenging to identify. The brilliant stars forming Scorpius the Scorpion make this constellation easy to pick out. However, spotting Corona Australis the Southern Crown might require some extra effort due to its less conspicuous star pattern. Search for it beneath the scorpion’s trailing edge as these celestial bodies ascend into the eastern heavens.
After observing the form of the Scorpion, you may be astonished to find out that certain viewers perceive a distinct outline within its constellation. Certain indigenous groups from northern Australia believe it looks more like a crocodile.
Shall I include one more? The Chameleon might not be as well-known, yet it certainly appears to resemble an animal—though you’ll notice it’s inverted during May nights. Seek it out approximately 20 degrees beneath Crux. A clear, dark night sky will be essential for discerning the dimmer stars of this constellation.
Star Dome
The chart illustrates how the heavens appear from approximately 30 degrees south latitude. Within the boundary, you’ll see the primary compass directions along with their intermediary points. For locating celestial bodies, hold up this map and align it such that one of the directional tags corresponds to your current orientation. This will ensure that the stars depicted over the edge of the map correspond accurately to those visible in the actual night sky.
The full-sky map illustrates what the sky appears like at:
9 P.M. May 1
8 P.M. May 15
7 P.M. May 31
The planets are displayed around mid-month.
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In May 2025, what celestial sights can be observed in the skies of the Southern Hemisphere?
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