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 astronomy outlook: The only Blue Moon of the year rises

08:00
1 May 2026

May astronomy outlook
The only Blue Moon of the year rises

Silhouette of a person sitting beside a telescope on a tripod under a clear night sky filled with dense stars and the bright band of the Milky Way.

May delivers the remnants of Halley's Comet in the form of a meteor shower, and also the only Blue Moon of the year.

EventDate
Full Flower MoonMay 1st
Eta Aquarids Meteor ShowerMay 6th-7th
New MoonMay 16th
Full Moon (Blue Moon)May 31st

First up in May is the rise of a full moon on May 12th. Native Americans gave this moon the moniker of the Flower Moon, for its spring timing as flower came to bloom.

Soon after, the Eta Aquarids shower reaches its peak. On the Southern Hemisphere this can bring up to 60 meteors an hour, but just 30 for us in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also notable for being the remnants of Halley's Comet.

One of the oldest recorded comets to visit Earth, the shower has been active since April 19th and runs until May 28th, peaking overnight of May 6th.

A New Moon on the 16th offered the clearest view of the stars, free from the moonlight, if our weather around that time is also pleasant.

May ends with a second full moon, the only Blue Moon of 2026 rises as we move into June. Keep an eye on the WeatherRadar throughout to find the best times for a night under the stars.

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Floods and landslides in parts of Asia. An unusual monsoon. . . Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Split image: On the left, flooded villages and fields can be seen in a vast landscape. On the right, a weather map of India shows heavy rainfall, along with a warning sign featuring a car in floodwater.
Wednesday, 29 July 2026

An unusual monsoon

Floods and landslides in parts of Asia
Clouds return to capture the scene. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 26 July 2026
Waxing crescent Moon above vivid pink and magenta sunset clouds, with silhouetted trees along the horizon beneath a deepening blue twilight sky.
Sunday, 26 July 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Clouds return to capture the scene
Forest fires are getting out of control. Spain and France. . . Saturday, 25 July 2026
A split-screen image featuring a photograph and a weather map. On the left, thick, dark-grey smoke rises from several fire sites in a wooded coastal area; a calm stretch of water can be seen in the foreground. On the right, a weather map shows south-western France and northern Spain. A red arrow points from the Atlantic towards the French Atlantic coast, symbolising an onshore wind. Sunny weather is forecast for Bordeaux at around 20 degrees, and Bilbao is also expected to be sunny at around 27 degrees. A large warning sign with a flame symbol indicates an increased risk of forest fires.
Saturday, 25 July 2026

Spain and France

Forest fires are getting out of control
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
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands. Storm and rain. . . Friday, 12 December 2025
Weather graphic showing rain and wind fields over the Canary Islands and a central warning symbol.
Friday, 12 December 2025

Storm and rain

Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands
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