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The Kite of Boötes is high in the east after sunset, offering a simple star pattern to trace out with your naked eyes.

A simulated night sky looking east on May 30, 2026, one hour after sunset. The bright orange star Arcturus, alpha star of the constellation Boötes, is prominently labeled near the center. Several Greek letter designations mark nearby stars of the constellation. A crescent Moon is visible low on the right horizon.

The Kite of Boötes stands high in the east an hour after sunset, marked by a pattern of six stars. Credit: Stellarium/USGS/Celestia/Clementine

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May 29: Split Nu Draconis

Already high in the eastern sky an hour after sunset is the constellation Boötes the Herdsman. Easy to find thanks to its brightest star, the magnitude –0.1 red giant Arcturus, the stars of this constellation form a well-known asterism called the Kite. 

You don’t need any optical aid to spot this shape in the sky, either, so it’s great for beginners. Start at Arcturus, which forms the base of the Kite, and look to the upper left. In this orientation (early evening, as Boötes is still rising), the right side of the Kite is marked by magnitude 3.6 Rho (ρ) and magnitude 3.0 Gamma (γ) Boötis. Th Kite then comes to a point at the top at magnitude 3.5 Beta (β) Boo. The left side of the Kite is demarcated by magnitude 2.4 Epsilon (ε) and magnitude 3.5 Delta (δ) Boo.

Sunrise: 5:34 A.M. 
Sunset: 8:21 P.M. 
Moonrise: 8:18 P.M. 
Moonset: 4:37 A.M.
Moon Phase: Full
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location.

Full Moon occurs at 4:45 A.M. EDT on May 31, bringing us May’s second Full Moon and the first — and only — Blue Moon of 2026. Shortly after that, at 5 A.M. EDT, the Full Moon passes 0.4° south of Antares, as both are setting for East Coast observers. To best catch them, you’ll want to look earlier, around 3 or 4 A.M. local daylight time, when they are low but still easily visible in the southwest. 

A simulated night sky looking southwest on May 31, 2026, at 4 A.M. A Full Moon sits just below the reddish star Antares, the heart of the constellation Scorpius, against a very dark sky with few other stars visible.

Even with a bright Full Moon in the sky on the morning of May 31, you should still be able to spot bright Antares, just above our satellite’s location. Credit: Stellarium/USGS/Celestia/Clementine

The Full Moon will be bright, but Antares is also bright, coming in at magnitude 1.1, so you should be able to make it out in the moonlit sky, just above our satellite’s position as the region sinks toward the horizon. This star, a red giant, is well known for its orangey-red hue, which is noticeable even with the naked eye. Antares marks the heart of Scorpius the Scorpion, and is named for its similar appearance to the Red Planet, Mars. The two can be easily mistaken for each other in the sky, but not today — when Mars rises around 4 A.M. local daylight time, it will be in the east, shining slightly dimmer than Antares at magnitude 1.3. The two aren’t visible together in the sky for long, as Antares is quite low in the west by the time Mars begins to rise out of the horizon haze on the opposite side of the sky, with sunrise also approaching.