The Planets
Planet Data For May
Click on any planet below to go straight to its section.
The table below shows key data for the planets this month, including rise, transit and set times, as well as magnitude, apparent size and position data (right ascension and declination).
Events that occur when the sun is below the horizon are shown with a black background and white text. All other events happen when the sun is in the sky and other for not visible for observation.
We’re challenged for good views of the planets once again this month due to conjunctions and a shallow ecliptic. The best planet for viewing – by some way – is Jupiter. Venus is improving, but needs to be seen relatively soon after dark. Mercury and Uranus are both passing behind the sun and so out of reach, whereas Mars, Saturn, and Neptune are all emerging from its glare – but not far enough to enjoy viewing them just yet.
All of the images below can be opened full screen in a new tab by clicking on them
Mercury
05th May
This view east at 6am shows how close to the sun Mercury is. It’ll pass behind our star on the 14th, and we can’t see it until after then.
15th May
One day after superior conjunction, Mercury is lost in the sun’s glare.
25th May
This view at 9pm shows Mercury pulling away from the sun. Over the first week of June, we’re in for some lovely views of this planet.
Mercury passes behind the sun, known as ‘superior conjunction’ on the 14th of May. Leading up to and immediately after that date, the small planet is too close to our star to observe. However, by the end of the month, it will have pulled away far enough that we’ll be able to enjoy its magnitude -0.6 disc. Looking at it through the telescope, we’ll see it’s six arcseconds across but only 70% illuminated.
Venus
05th May
At 9:30 in the evening, Venus is 12° above the horizon, shining unmistakably bright in Taurus.
15th May
At the same time ten days later, the planet is now 15° over the horizon. Its disc is 13° arcseconds wide.
25th May
Higher again, your telescope reveals the disc is 81% illuminated.
Venus gets higher in the sky after sunset as May progresses. Less of its disc is illuminated too, the Venusian crescent waxing from 87% to 79%. At the same time, its disc grows and, throughout the month, it shines unmistakably bright at magnitude -4.0.
Mars
05th May
Mars barely breaks the horizon half an hour before sunrise.
15th May
The shallow ecliptic means Mars isn’t high even though it’s some way from the sun.
25th May
At the end of the month, Mars is 5° over the horizon at 5am.
We’re still struggling to see Mars because of the shallow morning ecliptic. As the images show, even though it’s pulling further away from the sun, it’s barely breaking the horizon before dawn obliterates our view of it. If you do catch a glimpse, prepare to be a little underwhelmed by its 4-arsceond disc.
By the end of June, we will finally start being able to spend some time with Mars in the eyepiece.
Jupiter
05th May
At 11pm, Jupiter is 23° high above the western horizon.
15th May
We are slowly seeing it sink towards the horizon, but at 11pm, we can still enjoy its 33 arcsecond disc.
25th May
We need to bring our viewing window to 10pm now to see the planet as high as it was at 11pm just three weeks ago.
Jupiter is the only good evening planet we have to enjoy this May. Look for its bright, large disc in the west after darkness sets in. It’s pulling away from us, but it is a slow process and the Jovian disc is still larger than 32 arcseconds by the end of the month, making it about 8x wider than Mars appears to be.
Saturn
05th May
The ringed planet comes within reach of our scopes again this month. Today is tricky though: 6° high at 5:30am.
15th May
We need to observe at 5am to have a dark sky but the planet is still close to the horizon.
25th May
It’s only by the end of the month that we’ll finally start to get a good view of Saturn before dawn.
The Ringed Planet is a tough ask this month in central-US latitudes. If you live further north, say in Canada or the UK, sunrise is earlier and so we won’t get to see it at all for a while.
If you are lucky enough to have a dark sky at 5am, the end of the monthis when Saturn-viewing becomes feasible and your telescope will reveal the shallow angled rings surrounding the magnitude 0.9, 17-arcsecond disc.
Uranus & Neptune
15th May – Uranus
Uranus passes behind the sun in a week from now and is too close to our star to observe.
15th May – Neptune
At 4:30 in the morning, Neptune is 6° over the horizon, putting it effectively out of reach.
Uranus has its conjunction on the 22nd, putting it too close to the sun for us to see it this May. Neptune is slightly better: it is moving away from the sun – but that shallow morning ecliptic we’ve already talked about makes observing it a challenge, even if you did want to be outside at 4:30 in the morning to try it.
All Planets Viewer
Use the table below to see when each of the planets is observable for each day this month. Click on it for full screen.
A planet is classed as observable when it is more than 10° above the horizon and the sky is dark enough for it to be observed.
Planet ephemeris tables produced with the kind permission of Dominic Ford. Sky images are courtesy of SkySafari Pro 6.