The month of May It will reserve several significant astronomical events for which it is worth turning our nose upwards, including conjunctions of planets and “microluna of flowers”. By exploiting the improvement of the meteorological time brought from approaching the summer, this month we will be able to observe the “shooting stars” of Eta Aquaridi and of Eta Liridiwith their respective peaks for the 6 and 10 Mayfollowed by the full moon of the month renamed “Flower microluna” The May 12th. But it did not end here, because the month will be dotted with “Celestial kisses” between the moon and the planets of the Solar System. Among those most noteworthy we have the kiss between Moon and Mars on May 3rdthe one between SaturnLuna, Nettuno and Venus of 23 Mayto finish with that between Jupiter and the moon of 28 May. All these astronomical events will be observable to the naked eye.
The astronomical events of May 2025
The month of May could have started with a bang thanks to the “Easter Comet” C/2025 F2 (SWAN). In fact, the comet should have reached Perdie (the point of maximum approach to the sun) on May 1st, potentially with a brightness such as to make it visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, around April 16, the astronomers noticed a drop in brightness and the disappearance of the tail of the comet, a sign that the latter has disintegrated, not resisting the approach to the sun.
The meteoric swarms of the ETA Aquaridi and the Liridi Eta
The month of May brings two meteoric shamans with it, that of Eta Aquaridi and of Eta Liridi. The Aquarids, generated by the remains of Halley’s comet, are one of the most “generous” and suggestive meteoric swarms of the first half of the year. They are visible from April 19 to May 28, but will reach the peak of activity around the May 6thwhen they can be observed between 50 and 60 meteors per hour come from the direction of the constellation of the Aquarium, hence the name of the swarm. The better To observe them it is from 4 in the morning onwards, when the constellation of the Aquarium has “raised” quite high compared to the east horizon.
The Eta Liridi Instead, I am a minor meteoric swarm, active from 7 to 12 May, with peak expected around 10 May. The Lirids ETA originated from the dust of comet c/1983 H1 IRAS-ARAKI-ALCOCK which produce a meteor rate at very small time, between 1 and 3, decidedly less spectacular than the Aquarids ETA. On 10 May, the better To observe the Lirids Eta is From 10pmwhen the constellation of the lira (from where the meteors seem to come) will be high enough on the north-east horizon.
The “Microluna dei Fiori” of 12 May
There Full moon of the month will take place May 12thprecisely to 18:56 Italian time. At that hour, the moon will not yet have arisen on the horizon, which will happen at 20:30, however it will be possible to admire the moon in all its fullness even the previous evening and the one following the event. Also this month, the full moon phase will take place when our satellite is near theapogee of his elliptical orbit around the earth, to about 406 244 km (May 11). As a result, the full moon of May was also journalistically called “microluna“. The full moon of May is also known as” Flower Moon “because it coincides with the flowering of many flowers at this time of the year. Together, these two terms make the moon full of 12 May”Microluna of flowers“.
Celestial kisses between moon and planets
The month of May will be full of “celestial kisses”or close encounters, between the moon and the planets of the Solar System. It starts the May 2nd with the Conjunction between Venus and Neptune. The moment of maximum approach, at about two degrees of separation, takes place when in Italy it is 19:07. However, the two stars will not arise on the east horizon before 4:30 in the morning of May 3, so the maximum approach phase will not be visible from our country. Venus, with a magnitude of -4.7, will be easily identifiable to the naked eye thanks to its great brightness, while in order to see Neptune in the constellation of fish there is a need for at least one binoculars.
Continue the next evening with the conjunction between a thin sickle of Moon almost 50% illuminated and the planet Mars. The latter will be the great protagonist of the month of May, being clearly visible in the evening until the end of June. The Massimo approach will take place 02:13 on May 4thwhen the two celestial bodies are separated for just under two degrees in the direction of the cancer constellation. Since at most approach both the moon and Mars will both be set, the best time to observe this “celestial kiss” goes from 9 pm until the sunset of the two stars, which takes place around 2 in the morning. By choosing a sufficiently dark observation point and far from the artificial lights of the cities, we would not have difficulty identifying the two celestial bodies even with the naked eye.
The next appointment is for the May 14thwhen the Moonjust passed the full phase, will be found In conjunction with the star Antaresthe brightest star of the scorpion constellation. The moment of maximum approach takes place at 06:10 in the morning Italian time. However, at that hour, both stars are already sunset, so the best time to observe this conjunction in the south-west direction goes from 4:30 in the morning to the sunset of the moon around 6 am. Even the brightness of the two celestial bodies, the event will be perfectly visible even with the naked eye.
The May 22ndone Moon illuminated at 28% will find themselves at a distance of only 2.5 degrees from the planet Saturn. Also in this case, the maximum approach takes place around 18 Italian time, when Saturn is invisible in the solar glow. The best time to observe this close encounter is therefore the following morning starting from 03:30 in the morning, when it will be possible to observe, in addition to Celeste kiss between Luna and Saturno, also the one between Saturn and Neptuneseparated only two degrees in the heaven in the east direction. This mini-alignment It represents a delicious opportunity to bring out a binoculars or a small telescope to observe the four celestial bodies in detail.
The following evening, the May 23 at 11:13 pmone Moon illuminated at 16% will come to find yourself at close range with the planet Venusjust three degrees of angular distance. Also in this case, the maximum approach takes place when the stars are under the horizon, so you have to wait for 03:45 in the morning to ensure that both arise on the east/north-east horizon in the constellation of fish.
The last close encounter is that between one very thin crescent moon sickle and the gaseous giant Jupiter. The latter is approaching angularly more and more in the sun and is therefore visible only a few hours after sunset. May is the last month to observe him, before his return to October. The best time to observe this close encounter between Luna and Jupiter is therefore between 20:30 and 21:30, as long as I have a West/North-West horizon quite clear. The two objects will be separated from each other from a corner distance of about 5 degrees.
