May 2025 will not be a month of great conjunctions or dazzling eclipses, but one of those moments where the subtlety of the cosmos shines with more force: meteor rains from the legendary comet halely, a full moon loaded with names and meaning, and a solar phenomenon that makes the shadows of the world disappear for a few moments.
May 1 – Mars Visit the swarm
The first night of May brings an intimate show between a planet and a stellar cluster. Mars, the red and wandering planet, It will cross the visual field of the open cluster M44, better known as the “swarm” or “La Hive”.
This cluster, located in the cancer constellation, is perceived with the naked eye as a dim cloud, a “small mist” that already intrigued astronomers of antiquity. Today it is known that M44 contains a thousand stars united by gravity, and is 577 light years from the earth.
during the first week of May, Mars will slide slowly in front of this star colony, being the night of May 1 the best time to observe this crossing.
May 5 and 6 – ETA Craids Meteor Rain
The firmament will turn on fleetingly with one of the most elegant meteor rains of the astronomical calendar: the ETA acuáridas. This swarm of fleeting stars, generated by the waste left by the Halley kite, will reach its peak on the night of May 5 to 6. According to NASA, A rate of 10 to 30 meteors per hour is expected, although under ideal conditions you could see up to 50.
-The incandescent particles will cross the atmosphere to vertiginous 65 km per second, leaving behind light strokes that disappear as soon as they appear.
May 12 – Full Moon
Traditionally known as the moon of the flowers, the full moon of May will be visible in all its splendor at 12:56 pm edt. Its name comes from the native peoples of North America, who related it to the flowering of the earth in spring.
Indigenous cultures had multiple names for this moon: “Plantation moon” for the Cherokee and Mahican, “Dance Luna” for the Seneca and Tunica-Biloxi, and even “Snake Moon” for Catawba, Maybe remembering the reappearance of reptiles after winter lethargy. In northern Alaska, the Inupiat prefer a more direct approach: they simply call it the “summer moon.”
May 14 to 30 – Lāhaina Noon: The moment without shadow
While at night the sky is filled with stars, the day also has its own mystery in Hawaii’i. As of May 14, the first of the two annual periods known as Lāhaina Noon will begin, When the sun reaches the exact zenith on the Hawaiian archipelago.
During those moments – which vary according to the specific location – vertical objects do not project any shadow, since the solar rays fall straight. This phenomenon only occurs among the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, and was baptized by the Bishop Museum, which also offers a detailed guide of the phenomenon.
Tips to observe the May sky
While none of this month’s phenomena requires telescopes, it is vital to get away from artificial lights to better appreciate the sky. Places with little light pollution will allow to see the passage of Mars, the glow of the ETA acuáridas and the serenity of the full moon.
It is also worth checking astronomy applications to accurately locate the m44 cluster or follow the journey of the sun during the Lāhaina Noon.
