May has four visible meteor showers throughout the month with three of them having their peak this month. All of them are visible in the northern hemisphere.
Meteor showers are some of the coolest celestial events to witness. It is not necessary to use a telescope or binoculars to watch them, making them some of the most accessible as well for people that are just getting into astronomy and stargazing.
Every month there are a few meteor showers. They are very consistent and happen every year around the same dates and in the same location in the sky.
If you want to learn more about meteor showers, check out the following articles:
List of May meteor showers
The following are the meteor showers that will happen in the month of May.
The list is sorted by the peak date.
Eta Aquarids (April 19 – May 28)
General Information
| Name | Eta Aquarids |
| Start date | April 19 |
| End date | May 28 |
| Peak | May 6 |
| Comet | 1P/Halley |
| Speed | 66 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | 50 |
| Brightness | High |
Location
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Right ascension | 22h 20m |
| Declination | -01° 00′ 00″ |
Eta Lyrids (May 3 – May 14)
General Information
| Name | Eta Lyrids |
| Start date | May 3 |
| End date | May 14 |
| Peak | May 10 |
| Comet | C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock) |
| Speed | 43 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | 3 |
| Brightness | Mid |
Location
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Right ascension | 19 |
| Declination | 43° 00′ 00″ |
Tau Herculids (May 19 – June 14)
General Information
| Name | Tau Herculids |
| Start date | May 19 |
| End date | June 14 |
| Peak | May 31 |
| Comet | 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann |
| Speed | 16 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | variable |
| Brightness | Mid |
Location
| Constellation | Bootes |
| Right ascension | 13h 56m |
| Declination | 28° 00′ 00″ |
Daytime Arietids (May 14 – June 24)
General Information
| Name | Daytime Arietids |
| Start date | May 14 |
| End date | June 24 |
| Peak | June 7 |
| Comet | 1566 Icarus |
| Speed | 38 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | 30 |
| Brightness | Mid |
Location
| Constellation | Aries |
| Right ascension | 03h 02m |
| Declination | 25° 00′ 00″ |
Meteor shower guides for other months:
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December