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
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
Varied water temperatures around Europe. Looking to cool off?. . . Thursday, 18 June 2026
Temperature Radar for Europe, showing water temperatures in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
Thursday, 18 June 2026

Looking to cool off?

Varied water temperatures around Europe
50 years since historic 1976 heatwave. Three-month hot spell. . . Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Black-and-white photograph from the 1976 UK heatwave showing a crowded outdoor swimming area packed with people bathing, wading, and sitting along the water's edge during extreme summer heat.
Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Three-month hot spell

50 years since historic 1976 heatwave
All weather news
This might also interest you
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
Mixed conditions on an unsettled week. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 2 November 2025
plit image showing a double rainbow over a rocky shoreline on the left and sheep grazing in a green field under stormy clouds on the right.
Sunday, 2 November 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Mixed conditions on an unsettled week
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
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