May Astronomy 2025: What's in the North Texas Sky This Month?

What's happening in the skies over North Texas this month? May holds some spectacular sights in the night and morning sky. Check out the list below.

FULL FLOWER MOON

The May full moon, known as the Flower Moon, will make for a delight on May 12 at 11:55 a.m. It will also be a micro-moon.

The name Flower Moon signifies the flowers that bloom during this month. Native Americans called it a Budding Moon, an Egg-Laying Moon, and a Planting Moon.

Also, catch the other phases of the moon this month. By the way, on May 10 at 7:47 p.m. CDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest to the Earth for this orbit at 252,428 miles. On May 25 at 8:27 p.m. CDT, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit at 223,087 miles.

MONTHLY METEOR SHOW: THE ETA AQUARIIDS

The Eta Aquariids will be active until May 28, but they will peak on the evening of May 5. The meteors are best viewed during the pre-dawn hours.

The meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through a dusty trail of space debris left behind by Halley's Comet. The Earth passes through dust grains from Halley’s path twice a year to create two meteor shower events – the Orionids in October and the Eta Aquariids in May.

You are more likely to see them if you have an unobstructed view with clear skies in a very dark place far from any urban light sources.

AN EVENING SHOW EARLY IN THE MONTH: MARS, THE MOON AND JUPITER

About 90 minutes after sunset, look in the western sky to see two planets and the Moon. Mars (the brightest) will be above the western horizon next to the Moon. Meanwhile, Jupiter will appear above the west-northwestern horizon. By May 7, the planet falls below 20° an hour after sunset and becomes more difficult to observe, particularly if you have obstructions to the west.

Mars averages 140 million miles from Earth. The closest recorded distance to Mars from Earth was 34.8 million miles in August 2003. According to NASA, the two will not be that close again until the year 2237.

Jupiter's distance from the Earth varies from 336 million miles to 600 million miles.

A LATE MONTH MORNING DELIGHT: VENUS, NEPTUNE AND SATURN

By the end of the month, some planetary action moves to the morning, with the appearance of Venus and Saturn climbing high in the predawn sky. Venus will appear very bright in the sky. To see Neptune paired next to Saturn, you'll need a pair of binoculars.

Venus's distance from the Earth varies from 24 million miles to 162 million miles.

Saturn's distance from the Earth varies. When the two are closest, they lie approximately 746 million miles apart, or eight times the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

At their most distant, when they lie on opposite sides of the Sun from one another, they are just over a billion miles apart, or 11 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

When Neptune and the Earth line up on the same side of the Sun, they are only 2.7 billion miles apart at their closest. But when the planets are on opposite sides of the Sun, they can put as many as 2.9 billion miles between them.

WHEN DOES THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FLY OVER NORTH TEXAS?

Getty Images

Getty Images

The International Space Station will make several flybys across the North Texas sky this month. The ISS appears as a fast-moving star across the night sky.

The International Space Station rotates around the Earth at a speed of 17,500 mph. It rotates about its center of mass at a rate of about 4 degrees per minute, so it will complete a full rotation once per orbit. This allows it to keep its belly towards the Earth. One revolution around the planet takes about 90 minutes (16 per day).

Also, the International Space Station flies at an altitude of 250 miles above the Earth, which is 1.32 million feet. Most commercial airplanes fly between 33,000 and 42,000 feet.

Please enjoy these events in the night sky this month. Until then, Texans, keep looking up!