Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    May astro outlook: Fresh meteor shower and a lunar eclipse!

15:00
2 May 2023

May astro outlook
Fresh meteor shower and a lunar eclipse!

Star gazing

A fresh month of stargazing treats has arrived, delivering another meteor shower and the arrival of the Flower Moon to kick things off.

In a matter of days, we see the rise of the full moon known as the Flower Moon. Named for its timing alongside widespread spring bloom. While a full moon is always noteworthy, this month's also sees a penumbral eclipse!

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through Earth's shadow darkening its surface. The UK and Ireland just miss out on the display which is visible across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

Just as we say goodbye to the Lyrids, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower arrived and quickly reaches its peak. While this shower is typically more active than the Lyrids providing up to 60 shooting stars an hour, this year we see an outburst peak with up to 160 an hour!

Sadly, many of these meteors will not be visible as the shower's peak coincides with the Flower Moon on May 5th. The full moon's strong light will be enough to obscure all but the brightest shooting stars.

Did you know?

The Eta Aquariids are associated with the famous Halley's Comet. The comet itself will not return until 2061.

If you still wish to take a trip to view the display, as always search for a dark area free from light pollution, away from a city.

Although the peak of the shower is disrupted by the moon, the shower should persist until around May 28th.

This means that the arrival of a new moon on May 19th may be the best time to try spotting a shooting star overhead without any moonlight to contend with.

If you are planning a stargazing trip this month, don't forget to consult the WeatherRadar before setting off to avoid unexpected weather disrupting your plans!

Mobile astrophotography tipsread more
Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Glaciers unprepared for coming heatwave. Little snow protection. . . Wednesday, 17 June 2026
On the left is a webcam image of the Aletsch Glacier; on the right is the temperature radar, which shows the heat distribution in the Alps.
Wednesday, 17 June 2026

Little snow protection

Glaciers unprepared for coming heatwave
Heat alerts issued for parts of England. Back to around 30 °C. . . Thursday, 18 June 2026
Temperature map of the UK, Ireland, and western Europe on 19.06 showing warm to hot conditions across the UK with temperatures reaching 29 °C near London and a red heat warning symbol highlighting elevated heat risk.
Thursday, 18 June 2026

Back to around 30 °C

Heat alerts issued for parts of England
A heatwave is on the way in Europe. Is El Niño to blame?. . . Tuesday, 16 June 2026
Split image showing a Europe temperature map with widespread red heatwave conditions and temperatures above 30 C on the left, and an El Niño ocean temperature anomaly map of the Pacific Ocean on the right with a broad band of unusually warm water along the equator.
Tuesday, 16 June 2026

Is El Niño to blame?

A heatwave is on the way in Europe
All weather news
This might also interest you
Historic Storm Éowyn arrives. On this day.... . . Saturday, 24 January 2026
Split image showing a person in a yellow jacket struggling against strong winds and heavy rain on a street at night on the left, and an Irish wind forecast map on the right with red and purple shading, gusts up to 75 mph, and a wind warning icon, divided by a curved white line.
Saturday, 24 January 2026

On this day...

Historic Storm Éowyn arrives
Storm Chandra makes impact. Severe gales & heavy rain. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing strong winds over the UK on a forecast map and widespread rain and snow on a weather radar map.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Severe gales & heavy rain

Storm Chandra makes impact
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList