Poster’s Note: The text for this month’s installment from Dee Sharples, “The Sky In May 2026,” is provided below. Those wishing to listen to the article can click on the audio link below.
Face west shortly after sunset and you’ll immediately spot the planet Venus announcing another beautiful spring evening in May. It sparkles like a brilliant jewel above the horizon at magnitude –3.9. On Monday, the 18th, a thin crescent Moon lies very close to the planet and on Tuesday, the 19th, Venus, the Moon and Jupiter form a line in the western sky an hour after the sun sets. As the month progresses the space between Venus and Jupiter will continue to shrink.
Jupiter shines at a bright magnitude -2.0 high in the west and sets around midnight. The two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini the Twins (Pollux and Castor) can be found to the upper right of the planet.
The tiny planet Mercury situated closest to the Sun makes an appearance in the evening sky toward the end of the month, shining at magnitude -1.8 on Monday, May 25th. It will be quite low near the horizon looking like a bright star, but your best chance of spotting it is to have a flat observing location without obstacles blocking your view such as buildings and trees.
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is active through the end of May but peaks the morning of Wednesday, the 6th. Look east one hour before the sun rises for an opportunity to see a maximum rate of 50 meteors per hour from a dark sky observing location. If viewing from your city or suburban backyard, avoid light pollution from streetlights or neighbors’ homes which will cut down on how many meteors you’ll be able to spot.
On April 25th, NASA announced news about a discovery made by the Curiosity rover which landed on Mars on August 6, 2012.
“After years of laboratory work, the results are finally in: A rock sample that NASA’s Curiosity rover drilled and analyzed in 2020 contains the most diverse set of organic molecules ever discovered on Mars. Of the 21 carbon‑based molecules identified, seven have never before been detected on the Red Planet.
“Scientists have no way of knowing whether these organic molecules were created by biologic or geologic processes — either path is possible — but their discovery renewed confirmation that ancient Mars had the right chemistry to support life.”
