Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    May astro outlook: Fresh meteor shower and a lunar eclipse!

15:00
2 May 2023

May astro outlook
Fresh meteor shower and a lunar eclipse!

Star gazing

A fresh month of stargazing treats has arrived, delivering another meteor shower and the arrival of the Flower Moon to kick things off.

In a matter of days, we see the rise of the full moon known as the Flower Moon. Named for its timing alongside widespread spring bloom. While a full moon is always noteworthy, this month's also sees a penumbral eclipse!

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through Earth's shadow darkening its surface. The UK and Ireland just miss out on the display which is visible across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

Just as we say goodbye to the Lyrids, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower arrived and quickly reaches its peak. While this shower is typically more active than the Lyrids providing up to 60 shooting stars an hour, this year we see an outburst peak with up to 160 an hour!

Sadly, many of these meteors will not be visible as the shower's peak coincides with the Flower Moon on May 5th. The full moon's strong light will be enough to obscure all but the brightest shooting stars.

Did you know?

The Eta Aquariids are associated with the famous Halley's Comet. The comet itself will not return until 2061.

If you still wish to take a trip to view the display, as always search for a dark area free from light pollution, away from a city.

Although the peak of the shower is disrupted by the moon, the shower should persist until around May 28th.

This means that the arrival of a new moon on May 19th may be the best time to try spotting a shooting star overhead without any moonlight to contend with.

If you are planning a stargazing trip this month, don't forget to consult the WeatherRadar before setting off to avoid unexpected weather disrupting your plans!

Mobile astrophotography tipsread more
Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Weather contrasts over Europe. Low versus high. . . Tuesday 29 September 2026
A powerful low-pressure system off Iceland is clashing with a stable high-pressure system over Scandinavia. Central Europe lies between them.
Tuesday 29 September 2026

Low versus high

Weather contrasts over Europe
Warm weather despite the start of autumn. Temperatures worldwide. . Weather Videos. Wednesday 23 September 2026
Temperature Radar for the Northern Hemisphere
Weather VideosWednesday 23 September 2026

Temperatures worldwide

Warm weather despite the start of autumn
Stormy weather in the Mediterranean. Torrential rain and floods. . . Wednesday 30 September 2026
Split screen. On the left, a weather map of Spain and France showing rainfall, temperatures and weather symbols. On the right, a flooded road with a car.
Wednesday 30 September 2026

Torrential rain and floods

Stormy weather in the Mediterranean
All weather news
This might also interest you
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan. Up to 1,000 mm of rain. . Weather Videos. Wednesday 8 July 2026
The image shows an intense tropical cyclone over the western Pacific, east of Taiwan and the Philippines. The centre of the system is depicted as a light purple and white vortex with a clearly visible eye, surrounded by a ring of red and orange areas indicating the strongest wind speeds. A white arrow marks the typhoon’s predicted track towards the north-west, in the direction of Taiwan. To the west of the storm lie the Philippines, with the cities of Manila and Cebu; to the north of these lies Taiwan, with Taipei. Further west, the Chinese coast, including Hong Kong, and parts of Vietnam can be seen. The coloured wind map shows predominantly green areas outside the storm’s core, indicating significantly weaker winds. White streamlines illustrate the typhoon’s anti-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest wind speeds are concentrated around the eye of the cyclone.
Weather VideosWednesday 8 July 2026

Up to 1,000 mm of rain

Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList