Topline<\/p>\n
April<\/a> closes, and May begins with a brilliant full flower moon on May 1<\/a> amid a sky in seasonal transition. Spring\u2019s constellations now dominate the evening, summer\u2019s brightest stars climb after midnight and the Big Dipper rides high overhead. Here\u2019s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy from April 27-May 3, 2026. <\/p>\n NSF\u2013DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory atop Cerro Pach\u00f3n in Chile is outlined against the full Moon rising above the horizon. Photo by Hern\u00e1n Stockebrand, a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.<\/p>\n RubinObs\/NOIRLab\/SLAC\/NSF\/DOE\/AUTimeline<\/p>\n Wednesday, April 29After dark, the nearly full moon shines very close to Spica in Virgo, a star that lies about 250 light-years from the sun. It\u2019s actually a tight binary system of two massive stars orbiting each other every four days. Though they appear as one point of light, their combined luminosity is more than 10,000 times that of the sun. <\/p>\n Friday, May 1The full Flower Moon turns officially full at 12:23 p.m. EDT today. As always, the best moment to watch is moonrise where you are<\/a> \u2014 just after sunset \u2014 when it appears largest and glows orange through atmospheric haze. <\/p>\n Saturday, May 2Although tiny Mercury will be lost in the sun\u2019s glare today, it will appear to pass close to Eris, the second-largest known dwarf planet in the solar system after Pluto, but three times farther from the sun.<\/p>\n Sunday, May 3A waning gibbous moon will rise later at night close to Antares, a red supergiant star about 700 times the diameter of the sun. It\u2019s the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. <\/p>\n These are the constellations that can be seen in spring. They include the Great Spring Triangle. The design features a forest and a telescope.<\/p>\n gettyBig Dipper Climbs Highest<\/p>\n On bright moonlit nights in April, look straight overhead to the zenith for one of the sky\u2019s most recognizable shapes: the Big Dipper. Part of Ursa Major, its seven stars form a ladle shape that points the way to Polaris via the \u201cpointer stars\u201d Dubhe and Merak. Follow the curve of its handle in an \u201carc to Arcturus,\u201d one of the easiest star-hops in astronomy. In April, the Big Dipper is at its highest and most prominent. For another iconic asterism at this time of year, trace the Great Spring Triangle \u2014 Arcturus in Bo\u00f6tes, Spica in Virgo and Denebola in Leo \u2014 for a signpost of spring. <\/p>\n May\u2019s \u2018double\u2019 Full Moons<\/p>\n May\u2019s full moon \u2014 traditionally called the Flower Moon \u2014 happens to rise this year on May Day, known culturally as International Workers\u2019 Day, but also a cross-quarter day marking the midpoint between the March equinox and June\u2019s solstice. It\u2019s also significant for being the only full moon of the month. The next full moon after the flower moon will be May 31\u2019s blue moon, the second full moon in the same calendar month \u2014 an occasional consequence of the moon\u2019s 29-day orbit of Earth. The best night to watch the blue moon will be on May 30, when it rises shortly after sunset.<\/p>\n The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium<\/a>. <\/p>\n Further ReadingForbesSee A \u2018Pink Moon,\u2019 Meteors, A Comet And Venus: April\u2019s Night SkyBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesYour Ultimate Guide To Stargazing And Astronomy In 2026By Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesYour Full Moon Guide For 2026 \u2014 All 13 Dates For Your DiaryBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline April closes, and May begins with a brilliant full flower moon on May 1 amid a sky…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[236356,24904,49,48,17214,69262,236357,66,6299,236358,62949],"class_list":{"0":"post-631418","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-april-night-sky","9":"tag-blue-moon","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-full-moon","13":"tag-full-moon-tonight","14":"tag-may-night-sky","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-stargazing","17":"tag-stargazing-2026","18":"tag-when-is-full-moon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}