Lunar eclipse, stars and planets: What do you see in the sky in May 2022?

There’s no shortage of opportunities to do some astronomy in May 2022. Lunar eclipses and swarms of falling stars await the most excited observers in particular.

April ended with a beautiful solar eclipse, unfortunately not visible from France. It’s time to discover the astronomical phenomena that May 2022 has in store. Several planetary convergences are expected, in addition to a lunar eclipse. Lots of opportunities to practice astronomy, even if you don’t have a telescope.

Here are the events and dates to remember for May.

phases of the moon

The moon always shows the same face to the earth. But our perception of Earth’s natural satellite varies over time. The shadow moving little by little on this side of the moon facing us is simply the passing of days and nights on the star. Talk about stages to find your directions.

if Monday May 9It’s the first quarter of the moon. You can see half a moon. The moon is also said to be located in the eastern quadrature.
if Monday May 16, it’s the full moon. His entire visible face is illuminated by the sun.
if Sunday May 22 Corresponds to the stage of the last quarter. The moon is in the west square.
if Monday 30 MayIt is the new moon day. It is not visible in the sky.

full moon. // Source: Unsplash / Jesper Kronholm (cropped image) — full moon. // source : Unsplash / Jesper Kronholm (cropped image)

Planets visible to the naked eye

Did you know that some planets in the solar system can be seen with the naked eye? You can practice finding them in the sky in May. Here are the constellations they are hiding in and at what time.

planet	Mercure	Venus	Mars	Jupiter	Saturn
1 to 8	Mercure9:20 PM – 10:20 PM Taurus	Venus5:50 AM – 6:20 AM Pisces	Mars5:20 AM – 6:20 AM Aquarius	Jupiter5:40 AM – 6:20 AM Pisces	Saturn4:30 – 6:20 Capricorn
9 to 15	Mercure9:30 PM – 10 PM Taurus	Venus5:40 AM – 6:10 AM Whale	Mars5 AM – 6:10 AM Aquarius	Jupiter5:10 AM – 6:10 AM Pisces	Saturn4:10 – 6:10 Capricorn
16 to 22	Mercureinvisible	Venus5:20 AM – 6 AM Pisces	Mars4h40 – 6h Aquarius	Jupiter4h50 – 6h whale	Saturn3h40 – 6h Capricorn
From 23 to 29	Mercureinvisible	Venus5:10 AM – 5:50 AM Pisces	Mars4h20 – 5h50 Pisces	Jupiter4h20 – 5h50 Pisces	Saturn3:10 – 5:50 Capricorn
30 to 31	Mercureinvisible	Venus5:10 – 5:50 Aries	Mars4 hours – 5 hours 50 Pisces	Jupiter4 hours – 5 hours 50 Pisces	Saturn2h40 – 5h50 Capricorn

Other astronomical phenomena

Eclipse, meteor, conjunctions … May 2022 will be punctuated by other astronomical events.

if Sunday 1 May At dawn, Venus and Jupiter are very close to the sky.
if Mardi 3 and the Wednesday 4 MayTake advantage of the twilights to see the brilliance of the earth.
if Friday May 6It’s the ultimate swarm of shooting stars, the Eta Aquarids.
if Monday May 16 A total lunar eclipse occurs, one can try to see at dawn in France, even if the conditions are not ideal. The end of college will not be visible in France.
if Sunday May 22a quarter of the moon passes close to Saturn.
if Wednesday 25 MayJupiter and Mars are close to the moon in the morning.
if Friday May 27The moon is very close to Venus at dawn.
if Sunday May 29Take advantage of the proximity between Jupiter and Mars.