05-05-2025
See Halley's Comet Meteors As Saturn's Rings Close: The Night Sky This Week
Halley's Comet over Uluru, outback Australia, 1986. (Photo by)
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.
As we build to a full moon early next week, this waxing gibbous moon dominates most evenings, with our natural satellite visiting some iconic constellations, but there's also a meteor shower with a rather famous parent comet. Here's everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:
Monday, May 5: Moon In Leo
Look up high in the southwestern sky after dark tonight to find the 65%-lit waxing gibbous moon beside Regulus, the brightest star in Leo and about 79 light-years from the sun. The moon will appear just a few degrees from this 'heart of the lion' star. Mars will be close by, to the lower right.
Caused by detritus left in the inner solar system by Halley's comet — last seen in 1986 — a display of 'shooting stars' is possible tonight as the Eta Aqauriid meteors shower peaks. Expect about 10-20 per hour in the early hours of Tuesday, May 6, though anytime after dark on Monday, May 5, is a good time to look up. A cloudless sky is imperative, as is patience. If you're waiting for the comet itself, even more so —it's next due back in 2061.
These Hubble Space Telescope images, captured from 1996 to 2000, show Saturn''s rings open up from ... More just past edge-on to nearly fully open as it moves from autumn towards winter in its Northern Hemisphere, part of the course of its 29-year journey around the Sun. (Photo courtesy of NASA via Getty Images)
According to In The Sky, today sees the equinox on Saturn, which is meaningful to us on Earth because we'll completely lose sight of Saturn's rings. In practice, it's no big deal — Saturn is presently low in the east just before sunrise, and astronomers rarely put a telescope on it unless it's close to its annual bright opposition, which won't happen until Sept. 21, 2025. However, understanding what's going on at Saturn is interesting because, in some ways, it's similar to Earth. Saturn orbits the sun every 29 Earth years on an axis tilted by 27 degrees, which causes Saturn to experience seasons. Every 14.5 years, the planet's rings align perfectly with our line of sight, making them appear as an almost invisible sliver. The view will widen as the rings tilt back toward Earth, with the best views of Saturn's rings coming in 2032.
These are the constellations that can be seen in spring — including Boötes.
Known as 'The Herdsman,' Boötes is home to the brilliant star Arcturus, a red supergiant star about 37 light-years from the sun. Use the Big Dipper's handle to 'arc to Arcturus,' then look for a broader shape of stars fanning upward and left that, to my eyes, appears more like a kite, ice cream cone or cocktail glass in the eastern sky.
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.
