Top astronomy events for May 2024

From shooting stars kicking off the beginning of the month to speedy planet Mercury becoming visible, here are the top astronomy events for May 2024.

Transcript

00:00 [ music ]

00:05 May kicks off with shooting stars.

00:08 The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak on the night of May 4th and 5th.

00:12 Although the shower favors the southern hemisphere,

00:15 the northern hemisphere can still expect a good show of between 30 and 40 meteors per hour.

00:21 The Eta Aquarids may be more active this year due to the gas giant Jupiter

00:26 launching an enhanced amount of debris toward our planet.

00:29 Speaking of planets, catch Mercury on May 9th,

00:32 when the planet reaches its highest point above the horizon.

00:36 The best time to view Mercury is before sunrise.

00:39 Look to the eastern sky low on the horizon.

00:42 April showers bring May flowers, so it only makes sense that May's full moon is known as the Flower Moon.

00:49 Catch the rise of the Flower Moon on May 23rd.

00:52 The moon can be used as a background for excellent springtime photos.

00:57 Reporting for AccuWeather, I'm Jeff Cornish.