"What's Up" From NASA and JPL for the Month of May, 2026
May 2026 brings us another meteor shower, a meet up between the Moon and the planet Venus and a rare "Blue Moon" to end the month.
Skywatching Highlights from May's episode.
The Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower:
Look to the east before sunrise around the 5th and 6th and you'll witness "shooting stars" burning up in our atmosphere. These meteors are debris left over from the famous comet Halley, which made its most recent visit to the inner solar system in 1986. These bits of rock and ice are entering our planet's atmosphere a a whopping 40 miles per second, so they quickly burn up, leaving a streak of fire in the early morning sky.
The Moon Hooks Up With Venus.
Look to the west about a half hour after sunset on May 18th. A thin crescent Moon will point you to the brilliant "Evening Star", Venus.
May's "Blue Moon"
Last month, the crewed spacecraft Artemis II lifted off near April's Full Moon and gave us our first close up views of our planetary satellite in more than 50 years. Now, May ends with another rare lunar occurrence - a so called "Blue Moon". May 1 brings us the first of two Full Moons, this month. The second Full Moon in a month is referred to as a "Blue Moon", giving us the expression "once in a Blue Moon", although it really doesn't appear blue. The second Full Moon in May occurs on the 31st.
Watch "What's Up" for May, 2026 graciously provided by the fine folks at NASA and JPL.