Highlights of the Night Sky in May

Here are some of the things to see in May:

9 PM, western sky – Venus and Mercury over the horizon after sunset in early May; Venus stays visible throughout the month
9 PM, southwestern sky – Jupiter rises high over the horizon
11 PM, southeastern sky – Saturn over the horizon in the late evening, visible throughout the night
10 PM, southern sky – Virgo constellation prominent in the southern sky in the late evening, with the bright star Spica and a number of interesting deep sky objects to observe, including the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and the famous Sombrero Galaxy (M104) in the southern part of the constellation
10 PM, southern sky – Coma Berenices constellation with the spiral galaxy Messier 64, better known as the Black Eye Galaxy
10 PM, southeastern sky – Canes Venatici constellation with the bright star Cor Caroli and face-on spiral galaxy Messier 51 (Whirlpool Galaxy)
3 AM, eastern sky – the annual Eta Aquariid meteor shower, peaking on May 5 with up to 10 meteors per hour visible after midnight