May skygazing: Meteors, a floral moon, and cosmic beehive

Yahoo

30-04-2025

During March and April, those of us given to gazing at the heavens found the universe grinning back at us. That won't be the case this month, but that doesn't mean that the cosmos has nothing to show us: May brings the spectacular delights of the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower, along with seasonal delights like a floral full moon and a celestial beehive. And for anyone in Hawai'i, there's also the first Lāhaina Noon of the year–the phenomenon whereby, just for a moment, all shadows are banished from the world.
The first week of May will find the Red Planet drifting slowly across the face of the cluster of stars that go by the official designation M44 and the unofficial nickname 'The Beehive.' M44 is visible to the naked eye on a dark night, and has been studied since ancient times, with its diaphanous appearance attracting names like 'Little Cloud,' 'Star Cloud' and 'The Ghost'. Less poetically, Ptolemy called it 'a nebulous mass in the breast of [the constellation] Cancer.
Today, we know that M44 contains about 1,000 gravitationally bound stars, and that it's about 577 light-years away from Earth. Mars will appear in front of M44 throughout the first week of May, and the Farmer's Almanac suggests that May Day will offer the best view.
May is a reasonably quiet month as far as celestial pyrotechnics go, but there's one exception: the Eta Aquarids.This springtime meteor shower is predicted to peak on the evening of May 5 and early hours of May 6. As per NASA, stargazers can expect to see about 10 meteors per hour, but up to 50 per hour at the shower's peak, all rocketing through the sky at 40 miles per second.
But, you might ask, these fiery interlopers: where do they come from? Oh boy, do we have answers for you.
[ Related: Halley's comet is on its way back towards Earth. ]
May's full moon is the Flower Moon, a name that alludes to the flowers that burst into bloom throughout the northern hemisphere as spring arrives in earnest. As per the Farmer's Almanac, the moon will reach peak brightness at 12:56 p.m. EDT. You can also consult their handy moonrise and moonset calculator to figure out the best viewing times near you.
There are many other native American names for this month's moon, a large number of which also allude to the arrival of spring: in the Anishinaabemowin language of the Ojibwe, it's the 'Flowering Moon'; in both Cherokee and the Mahican Dialect of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Wisconsin May's full moon is the 'Planting Moon'; and to the Tunica-Biloxi of Louisiana and the Seneca, it's the 'Dancing Moon.'
However, the Catawba nation of South Carolina uses a slightly more ominous name: the 'Snake Moon.' Interestingly, in the language of the Inupiat tribe of Alaska's north slope, there's no messing around with spring. They call this month's moon the 'Summer Moon.'
We often talk about the sun being 'overhead' during the day, but in fact, this is almost never the case. At any given moment, there will be one and only one point on the planet where the sun is directly overhead, so that its rays strike this point at a perfect 90° angle. At this point, objects cast no shadow; for a moment; the world looks like it's been lit by an immense flash bulb.
The point always falls between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, and for two fortnight-long periods each year, it traces a path across Hawai'i. These periods are referred to as 'Lāhaina Noon,' and the first one of 2025 begins on May 14. The Bishop Museum publishes a helpful guide of where and when the sun will pass directly overhead, letting you know exactly where and when to be if you want to bear witness to this rather eerie phenomenon.
It should go without saying, but don't look at the sun during Lāhaina Noon (or, indeed, at any other time.) And as far as looking at the night sky goes, you'll get the best experience if you get away from any sources of light pollution—and make sure to check out our stargazing tips before you head off into the darkness.
Until next month!