May Night Sky – Constellation Guide

Here are some of the stars, constellations and notable deep sky objects to observe in May:

9 pm, western sky – Mars visible low above the horizon in the evening
9 pm, southern sky – Jupiter appearing high in the sky
1 am, southern sky – Saturn appearing above the southern horizon after midnight
5 am, eastern sky – Venus visible about an hour before dawn
10 pm, southern sky – Virgo, one of the largest constellations in the sky, with the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and the famous Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104)
10 pm, southern sky – Coma Berenices, a small constellation located above Virgo, with the galaxy Messier 64, better known as the Black Eye Galaxy
10 pm, southeastern sky – Canes Venatici constellation with the bright star Cor Caroli, named after Charles I of England, and the well known Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51)
3 am, eastern sky – Eta Aquariid meteor shower, associated with the constellation Aquarius, peaking on the night of May 4 to 5 with up to 10 meteors per hour visible from the east, visible after midnight