The planetary movements of the month of May will allow us to see the five planets closest to Earth, a parade of bright points will appear in the celestial vault and will accompany the Moon with conjunctions visible to the naked eye.
The Moon will reach its perigee on May 11, the day it is closest to the Earth, just 369,343 kilometers away. The satellite will be waning and is heading towards the new phase after having been completely illuminated. But in addition, the satellite will approach Saturn on the mornings of May in a conjunction that can be seen with the naked eye. Venus, Mars, and Saturn will also appear on the celestial map.
Planets in May sunsets
Venus at sunset
Venus is the third brightest object in the sky, only behind the Sun and the Moon, so you can imagine that it is the brightest star of all. Throughout the month of May it will be observed in the western evening sky, suspended above the reddish Aldebaran and the delicate cumulus of .
He May 9 It will reach its greatest declination towards the north at 26º and will also mark its highest point in the ecliptic at 44º to that of the Sun. The planet will pass through Taurus (very early in the month), On the 17th the constellation of Gemini will touch and towards the end of May it will head towards Cancer. Later, the Moon will form a lunar conjunction with the planet on May 22 and 23. However, the best time of the month to see it will not be until the end when it reaches a magnitude of -4.2 (we must remember that the lower the number, the brighter the luminous body is observed).
Mars in Gemini
Mars is very close to Venus right now and can be seen between the powerful Castor and Pollux, which are the twin stars of the Gemini constellation. During the first days of the month it will shine with greater intensity, but this will fade more towards the end of the month when it decreases to +1.6.
The On May 23 and 24, the Moon will conjunct Mars which by then will move towards the constellation of Cancer. Take the opportunity to see the trinity formed by the Red Planet, Venus and the Moon during these days.
Planets in the dawns of May
Saturn before dawn
It can be seen during the early mornings of May 2023, it is now in the constellation of Aquarius. It can already be seen on the western horizon where it leaves at approximately 2:30 am local time, but as the month progresses it leaves earlier and earlier. In the days On the 12th, 13th and 14th the Moon will pass very close to Saturnto see the conjunction it is recommended to do so in the hours before sunrise.
Jupiter at twilight
The ringed planet will reappear in the twilight of May mornings and will have a close pairing with the Moon on May 17, although the Sun’s rays will leave a very short observation time window for the conjunction. The best time to see Jupiter in the night sky is after the 21st of the month, when it rises above the eastern horizon around 4:30 am.
Mercury
The southern hemisphere will have the best view of Mercury which will be visible in the mornings of May. Start to look for it 30 minutes before dawn in the eastyou can use Jupiter as a reference to meet the smallest planet in the Solar System which will be in the constellation of Cetus.