Learn what is happening in May 2009 and what has happened in May in the past. Discover highlights of the night sky and learn what to look for in May 2009.
May Highlight - Half Dozen Planets
NASA
As April ended, Mercury had taken center stage. The first week of May, it will continue to be visible, though becoming harder to spot. Saturn continues to be one to watch for while Jupiter and Neptune will cruise together for a while in the mornings. Another couple cruising the morning skies together will be Venus and Mars. Especially wtach for them on the 21st as the crescent moon will add the third point on a celestial traingle. Fickle Uranus can't decide who it likes more. Early in the month it can be spotted hanging around Venus and Mars but as the month progresses it will travel closer to Jupiter and Neptune.
May Skymap
Nick Greene
Check out this map for the month of May, or create your own customized map with our Free Sky Maps tool.
Note: This map is for a median time and location and may have slight differences from your location and viewing time. Planets and moons shown on this map will have the highest probability of appearing in different locations.
Use this handy Sky Map Symbols Key to figure out what you should be looking for.
Events in May
Check out our Astronomical Events Calendar to learn about other happenings in space and on Earth. Here is a sampling of highlights.- 2 - Astronomy Day
- 2 - Venus at Greatest Brilliance
- 5 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak
- 7 - Space Day
- 18 - 40th Anniversary (1969), Apollo 10 Launch
- 18 - Mercury is in Inferior Conjunction
- 25 - Soyuz TMA-15 Soyuz FG Launch (International Space Station 19S)
- 28 - 50th Anniversary (1959), Jupiter C Launch Of Two Monkeys (Able & Baker)
Featured Constellation - Canis Minor
Public Domain
This month, the constellation Canis Minor can be seen high in the sky. Let's take a closer look at Canis Minor.
- The Lesser Dog
- Genitive: Can Minoris
- Abbreviations: CMi, C Min
- Right Ascension, (h): 8
- Declination, (deg): 5N
Featured Biography - Donald K. Slayton
NASA
Born March 1, 1924, in Sparta, WI, Donald K. Slayton was named as one of the Mercury astronauts in April 1959. He made his first space flight as Apollo docking module pilot of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission, July 15-24, 1975—a joint space flight culminating in the first historical meeting in space between American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts. Deke Slayton died June 13, 1993.
This Month in History
NASA
Check every day to learn what happened "This Day in History."
- 2: 1885 - Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck was appointed extraordinary professor of theoretical physics in Kiel.
- 6: 2001 - The Russian Soyuz capsule, returning from the International Space Station (ISS), touched down right on time, carrying Dennis Tito, the world's first space tourist.
- 10: 1897 - Konstantin Eduardovitch Tsiolkovsky (Russian Rocketry Pioneer) created his calculations about space flight theory.
- 18: 1969 - Apollo 10, USA Lunar Manned Orbiter, (May 18-26, 1969) launched.
- 25: 1543 - Nicolaus Copernicus died in Frauenburg (now Frombork), Poland.
