Last Dark Skies Of Spring Begin Tonight — Here’s What To See

BreakingInnovationScienceLast Dark Skies Of Spring Begin Tonight — Here’s What To SeeByJamie Carter,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky.Follow AuthorMay 09, 2026, 02:57am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineWith the moon reaching its last quarter phase on Saturday, May 9, it begins to rise around midnight, then later each night. The effect is that the night sky as seen from mid-northern latitudes enters one of its final truly dark periods before summer’s short nights take over. It’s a gateway to spring’s deep-sky season, when galaxies dominate the night sky, but also the perfect time to see some of the night sky’s most famous constellations — even from light-polluted cities. Here are five things to see in the night sky this week. The Leo Triplet is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628.gettyKey FactsA last-quarter moon rises on Saturday, May 9. Half-lit as seen from Earth, it occurs week after May 1’s full Flower Moon. As it rises around midnight, the evening skies are dark, revealing far more stars than in recent weeks.May is being dominated by two very bright points of light after dark. Look west 45 minutes after sunset to see Jupiter (highest) and Venus (lowest) in the western sky. They’re getting closer to each other as they approach a close conjunction on June 9.This month is “galaxy season,” with constellations like Leo and Virgo to the south, a window on the universe beyond the Milky Way. Any telescope will reveal a plethora of galaxies. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.co...