See The Full ‘Flower Moon' Bloom: The Night Sky This Week
The fifth Full Moon of 2024, the Flower Moon, is appearing in Molfetta, Italy, behind Torre ... More Calderina with a dancer, on May 22, 2024. Its name is coming from the Native American tradition of the explosion of blooms at this time of year. (Photo by Davide Pischettola/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Each Monday, I pick out North America's celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
The moon takes center stage this week as it reaches its full phase, then wanes. After the vibrant 'flower moon' rising in the southeast on Monday and its close encounter with the red supergiant star Antares on Tuesday, our natural satellite will begin to rise later in the evening, causing darker skies to return by week's end. Here's everything you need to know about the night sky this week:
May's full moon — known as the flower moon — will reach 100% illumination at 11:56 a.m. EDT today, but the best time to enjoy it will be at moonrise this evening, which will occur during dusk. Look toward the southeastern horizon to catch the moon rising into view, bathed in soft orange hues as it does so. This color window lasts only about 15 minutes before the moon brightens and returns to a grey-white. The full moon will shine within the constellation Scorpius.
Just a day past full, the 94%-lit waning gibbous moon will rise an hour or so after sunset and shine alongside the red supergiant star Antares at the heart of the constellation Scorpius. Known as the 'rival of Mars' for its color and closeness to the ecliptic — the path of the sun through the sky and the plane of the solar system, the path all planets ply — Antares will tonight offer a nice contrast to the brilliant white of the moon. It's about 550 light-years away.
Corona Borealis constellation featuring labeled stars in a glowing, star filled night sky.
Follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle to find orange-hued Arcturus in the eastern sky. It anchors the constellation Boötes, the Herdsman. To the lower left is Corona Borealis, the 'Northern Crown,' a constellation of seven stars between Boötes and Hercules that's easy to find during May nights. If you need an extra reason why you should make yourself familiar with this crescent of stars, a rare 'nova' is about to go off within it. Below Corona Borealis is bright star Vega.
Tracking the moon night by night is one of the easiest ways to understand the rhythm of the sky. It moves about 12–13 degrees eastward each day — a bit more than the width of your fist at arm's length. Watch how it shifts its position relative to bright stars or constellations for the next 29 days (an entire orbit) as it wanes, then waxes to a full strawberry moon on June 11.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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