These next few evenings - May 26 and 27, 2020 - the moon moves out of the constellation Gemini and into the constellation Cancer. The lit side of the waxing crescent moon serves as your arrow in the sky, pointing right at the planet Mercury. Mercury may be visible to the eye alone around an hour after sunset.
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, these next few weeks will provide your best opportunity to spot Mercury, the innermost planet, in the evening sky for this year. Use Venus to locate Mercury in the western sky after sunset in May 2020!
On May 14, 2020, the moon is at or near its last quarter phase and close to the red planet Mars on the sky's dome. Watch for the half-lit moon in the predawn sky; the red planet will be near it.
On the mornings of May 11, 12, 13 and 14, 2020, the waning moon will be sweeping past Jupiter, Saturn and finally Mars in the early morning sky. Great time to get acquainted!
These next few nights - May 1 and 2, 2020 - the moon is located in the direction of the constellation Leo the Lion. You'll see the moon near Regulus, the star that represents the Lion's Heart.
Bruce McClure served as lead writer for EarthSky's popular Tonight pages from 2004 to 2021, when he opted for a much-deserved retirement. He's a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also wrote and hosted public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York.