Stargazing Calendar for May 2025
Get ready for an exciting month of stargazing as May 2025 brings a variety of celestial events worth noting. From planetary alignments to meteor activity, there’s plenty for astronomy enthusiasts to look forward to.
List of Meteor Showers in May 2025
- Antihelion Source: Start on December 10; multiple peaks; end September 10.
- η-Aquariids: Start on April 19; peak on May 5; end on May 28.
- η-Lyrids: Start on May 3; peak on May 8; end on May 14.
- τ-Herculids: Start on May 25; peak on May 31; end on June 4.
- Daytime Arietids: Start on May 14; peak on June 7; end on June 24.
We also have a complete list of meteor showers for the entire year of 2025 here.
List of Planetary Conjunctions in May 2025
- Conjunction of Saturn and Ceres in Pisces and Aquarius on May 1.
- Conjunction of the Moon and Mars in Cancer on May 4.
- Conjunction of Venus and Neptune in Pisces on May 4.
- Close approach of Mars and the Beehive Cluster in Cancer on May 5.
- Conjunction of Mercury and Eris in Pisces and Cetus on May 9.
- Conjunction of Neptune and Ceres in Pisces and Cetus on May 10.
- Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn in Pisces on May 22.
- Conjunction of the Moon and Venus in Pisces on May 24.
- Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter in Taurus on May 28.
May 1: Conjunction of Saturn and Ceres
Saturn and Ceres will reach conjunction passing within 7°17′ of each other while sharing the same right ascension.
Saturn will be at apparent magnitude 1.0 in the constellation Pisces and Ceres at magnitude 9.3 in the nearby constellation of Aquarius. The Moon will not interfere much with stargazing this early May 2025 as it will be 4 days old waxing crescent at 25%.
May 2: Asteroid 4 Vesta at opposition
At about midnight local time, the large asteroid 4 Vesta will reach the highest point in the sky and be opposite of the Sun. Look in the constellation of Libra with binoculars or a telescope, as it will have an apparent magnitude of 5.7. At around the same time Vesta will also reach its closest point to the Earth (perigee) at a distance of 1.182 AU.
May 4: Conjunction of the Moon and Mars
The Moon and Mars will be at conjunction by sharing the same right ascension and passing within 2°04′ of each other.
Around the same time, the two bodies will also make a close approach (appulse) reaching 1°58′ from each other, but not sharing the same right ascension.
Look for the two bodies in the constellation of Cancer. The Moon will be at apparent magnitude of -11.7, while Mars will be at magnitude 1.0. The Moon will be waxing crescent (48%) at 7 days old.
May 4: Conjunction of Venus and Neptune
Venus and Neptune will reach conjunction passing within 2°03′ of each other while sharing the same right ascension.
Venus will be at apparent magnitude -4.5 and Neptune at magnitude 7.9 both in the constellation of Pisces. (Constellation map already displayed above, when discussing the conjunction of Saturn and Ceres on May 1.) The Moon will be a 7 days old waxing gibbous at 50%.
You will need a telescope to view this conjunction because Neptune is not visible to the naked eye.
May 5: Close approach of Mars and the Beehive Cluster
Mars and the Beehive Cluster (also known as M44 or Messier 44) will make a close approach, passing within 37.6 arcminutes of each other. (See featured image at the top.)
Both objects will be in the constellation of Cancer with Mars being at apparent magnitude 1.0; and the Beehive Cluster at 3.1. (Constellation map already displayed above, when discussing the conjunction of the Moon and Mars on May 4.) The Moon will be a 8 days old waxing crescent at 64%.
May 5: η-Aquariid meteor shower peak
The Eta Aquariids are a medium-sized meteor shower with an average of 40 meteors per hour (ZHR) during the peak if conditions are ideal.
Some meteors may also be spotted between April 19 and May 28, enriching your stargazing this spring of 2025. They will radiate from the constellation of Aquarius, near the star Eta Aquarii, at the fast speed of 66 km/s on average. The meteors from this shower originate from Halley’s Comet.
May 8: η-Lyrid meteor shower peak
The Eta Lyrids will peak this May 2025 with a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) of 3 meteors if stargazing conditions are optimal. The Moon will be 11 days old waxing gibbous at 89%, so it will interfere with stargazing this middle of May 2025.
Some meteors may also be spotted between May 3 and May 14. They will radiate from the constellation of Lyra, at the speed of 43 km/s on average. They originate from debris left by comet C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock).
May 9: Asteroid 9 Metis at opposition
Asteroid 9 Metis will reach opposition, when it lies opposite to the Sun in the sky. It will reach the highest point in the sky around midnight local time.
At around the same time Metis will also reach its closest point to the Earth (perigee) at a distance of 1.632 AU from Earth and reach a peak brightness of magnitude 9.7. Unfortunately even at the peak, this asteroid will be too faint to observe with the naked eye. You will need a telescope, which you should point to the constellation of Libra. (The constellation map has already been shown above while discussing asteroid 4 Vesta at opposition on May 2.) The Moon will be 12 days old and waxing gibbous at 92%.
It is one of the larger main-belt asteroids at about 190 km in mean diameter. It orbits the Sun at 2.387 AU (semi-major axis) which takes 3.687 years to complete. (Source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database Lookup for 9 Metis)
May 9: Conjunction of Mercury and Eris
Mercury and dwarf planet Eris (minor planet designation 136199 Eris) will reach conjunction passing within 8°39′ of each other while sharing the same right ascension.
Mercury will be at apparent magnitude -0.4 in the constellation of Pisces and Eris at magnitude 18.7 in the constellation of Cetus.
May 10: Conjunction of Neptune and Ceres
Neptune and dwarf planet Ceres will reach conjunction passing within 8°22′ of each other while sharing the same right ascension.
Neptune will be at apparent magnitude 7.9 in the constellation of Pisces and Ceres at magnitude 9.3 in the constellation of Cetus. (The constellation map has already been shown above while discussing the conjunction of Mercury and Eris on May 9.) The Moon will be 13 days old and waxing gibbous at 97%.
May 22: Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn
The Moon and Saturn will reach conjunction passing within 2°49′ of each other while sharing the same right ascension.
At around the same time the two bodies will also make a close approach (appulse) reaching 2°28′ from each other, but not sharing the same right ascension.
The Moon will be at apparent magnitude -11.3 and Saturn at magnitude 0.9 both in the constellation of Pisces. (Constellation map already displayed above, when discussing the conjunction of Saturn and Ceres on May 1.) The Moon will be a 25 days old, very thin waning crescent at 20%.
May 24: Conjunction of the Moon and Venus
The Moon and Venus will be at conjunction by sharing the same right ascension and passing within 3°59′ of each other.
At around the same time the two bodies will also make a close approach (appulse) reaching 3°32′ from each other, but not sharing the same right ascension.
Look for the two bodies in the constellation of Pisces. (Constellation map already displayed above, when discussing the conjunction of Saturn and Ceres on May 1.) The Moon will be a 27 days old, very thin waning crescent at 10%. Despite this, the Moon will still be at apparent magnitude of -10.6, while Venus will be at magnitude -4.4.
May 28: Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter
The Moon and Jupiter will be at conjunction by sharing the same right ascension and passing within 5°12′ of each other.
The two celestial bodies will meet in the constellation of Taurus with the Moon at apparent magnitude of -9.0 and Jupiter at -1.9. The Moon will be a 1 days old waxing crescent at 5% and so won’t interfere much with stargazing this end of May 2025.
May 31: Venus at greatest western elongation
Venus will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky, making it the best time to view the planet. Look for it low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.
It will be at apparent magnitude -4.3 in the constellation of Pisces. (Constellation map already displayed above, when discussing the conjunction of Saturn and Ceres on May 1.) The Moon will be 4 days old, waxing crescent at 32%.
May 31: τ-Herculid meteor shower peak
The Tau Herculids are a variable rate meteor shower that will peak on May 31. Some meteors may also be spotted between May 25 and June 4.
When originally discovered in 1930, the meteors were radiating from the constellation of Hercules, near the star Tau Herculis. That has since changed. First the parent body of this meteor shower, comet 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann, broke up into 69 known larger fragments in 1995. Then the meteor streams experienced orbital perturbations by Jupiter. Due to all this, the radiant point of this meteor shower has moved to near the star Arcturus in the constellation Boötes.
The meteors will move at the slow speed of 16 km/s on average. The Moon will be 4 days old, waxing crescent at 32%.
Moon Phases in May 2025
As you know, the Moon has a big impact on the visibility of celestial bodies and astronomical events in the night sky. So to help you with stargazing, here’s a calendar of the phases of Moon for this month of May 2025:
Positions of the Planets in May 2025
- Mercury: The closest planet to the Sun can be seen at dawn and dusk travelling across the constellation of Pisces. This planet, being the closest to the Sun, will appear to move quickly in the night sky and its position will change in the following weeks.
- Venus: The sister planet can be seen travelling across the constellation of Pisces. Just like Mercury, Venus can only be seen at dawn and dusk.
- Mars: The red planet can be seen in the constellation of Cancer.
- Jupiter: The gas giant is visible in the constellation of Taurus. Jupiter can easily be spotted with the naked eye, even in highly illuminated cities.
- Saturn: The ringed giant can be seen with the naked eye in the constellation of Pisces.
- Uranus: The ice giant can be seen in the constellation of Taurus with the use of a telescope.
- Neptune: The blue giant requires a telescope pointed in the constellation of Pisces in order to be seen.
Positions of Dwarf Planets and Large Asteroids in April 2025
- Ceres: The asteroid belt’s lone dwarf planet can be seen in the constellation of Aquarius and then Cetus with the help of a telescope.
- Vesta: This large asteroid can be seen in the constellation of Libra with a telescope.
- Pallas: The asteroid can be observed with a telescope in the constellation of Delphinus.
- Hygiea: The fourth largest asteroid can be found with a telescope in the constellation of Aries.
- Pluto: This distant dwarf planet can be found in the constellation of Capricornus with the help of a large telescope.
Major astronomical events next month – June 2025
- June 7: Daytime Arietid meteor shower peak
- June 21: June solstice
- June 26: Jupiter at apogee
- June 27: June Bootid meteor shower peak
Conclusion
May 2025 is packed with stargazing highlights, from planetary conjunctions to meteor showers and asteroid oppositions, making it perfect for anyone interested in astronomy. Whether you’re observing planets with the naked eye or exploring deeper targets with a telescope, there’s something in store almost every week. Clear skies and happy stargazing!
To ensure you don’t miss out on any celestial happenings, sign up for our newsletter to receive stargazing calendars and more updates. Keep your telescopes ready and clear your calendar for these cosmic highlights!
Sources:
- Planetary ephemerides produced by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
- International Meteor Organization
See also:
- Previous month’s calendar: Stargazing Calendar for April 2025
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Paul Tomaszewski
Paul Tomaszewski is a science & tech writer as well as a programmer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of CosmoBC. He has a degree in computer science from John Abbott College, a bachelor's degree in technology from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, and completed some business and economics classes at Concordia University in Montreal. While in college he was the vice-president of the Astronomy Club. In his spare time he is an amateur astronomer and enjoys reading or watching science-fiction. You can follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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