May Celestial Events Include Meteor Shower, Rare Planetary Alignment With Moon

It won't take long for the night sky to start showing off in May, as a meteor shower will quickly reach its peak in the opening days of the month.

But that's not the only treat that the month ahead has in store – here's what we'll be watching for:

May 4-5: Eta Aquarids Peak

Meteor showers are great this time of year because warmer nights mean you won't be ducking inside to warm up, potentially missing the best moments of a meteor shower's peak. Enter the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which actually started weeks ago on April 15, according to Space.com.

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How to watch: First, go as far south as you can, because the best viewing is in the Southern Hemisphere or near the equator. But for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, as long as the skies are clear, you'll still be able to see up to 30 meteors per hour, according to Sea and Sky. You don't need any special equipment to see the meteors during this shower, just get outside and look to the part of the sky near where the constellation Aquarius is located (a skywatching app can help you with that).

May 12: Full Flower Moon

"This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance," notes Sea and Sky. The moon will turn full at around 1 p.m. EDT on May 12, but it'll appear full on the day before and the day after, if that works better for your area's weather conditions.

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May 22-24: Moon, Venus And Saturn Team Up

If you're like me and love to do a little planet-spotting on a clear night, there's a good opportunity in the second half of the month. For three nights, you'll be able to see Venus and Saturn in close proximity to the moon. The key thing to remember: This will happen about 30 minutes before sunrise each of the days, according to EarthSky.org, so be sure to set your alarm and look for the moon in order to see it.