The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
Credit: Chuck Wraith
The Whirlpool Galaxy is a perennial favorite for star gazers in the month of May. It is an interacting grand design spiral galaxy and was first discovered by Charles Messier in 1773.
WHAT’S UP(COMING)! – Observation Calendar Jun-Aug 2026
Source for events and links below are In-The-Sky.org, Dominic Ford, Editor. The links provide details for each event including a scale on how difficult they are to observe.
Less Of the Night Sky Is Visible Than Ever Before
Light pollution now steals a pristine night sky from the majority of humanity. The rise of LED lighting, primarily since 2014, is to blame.
JWST Finds a Stellar Bar in the Early Universe That Breaks All Rules
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered a stellar bar in GN20, a massive galaxy seen just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. The new paper was submitted to the preprint server arXiv on May 14.
Is Extracting Oxygen from Lunar Soil the Future of Space Exploration?
A new race to the moon is emerging between the United States and China. Unlike fifty years ago, the goal is no longer just about landing and leaving, but establishing a base that allows for a sustainable presence and extended stays on the surface of our natural satellite. The objective is now to use the moon as a testing ground for technologies that will enable us to travel further, particularly to Mars.
NASA’s Webb Reveals Black Hole That Formed Before Its Galaxy
Which comes first, the galaxy or the black hole? We don’t know, but scientists have long thought it could be the galaxy: Large stars within an existing galaxy consume their fuel and collapse to form black holes, which can gobble up surrounding material and merge over time to form more massive entities.
Now, researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected clear evidence that some supermassive black holes were enormous from the beginning, forming without a stellar collapse phase, and without a significantly more massive host galaxy to feed them.
Hubble Captures M88 on Journey to Center of Virgo Cluster
The focus of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is an active spiral galaxy on a journey lasting hundreds of millions of years. The galaxy Messier 88 (M88), also known as NGC 4501, is located about 63 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair).
Arcturus, Brightest Star of the Northern Sky
Arcturus is a red giant star. It’s about 25 times the size of our sun, and some 170 times more luminous. And considering the fact that it’s only 36.7 light-years away, it should be little surprise that Arcturus is the 4th-brightest star in Earth’s sky.
Community Star Parties in May!!!
BPAA will be hosting two Star Parties at Battle Point Observatory in May!!!
The event on 2 May will be between 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm.
Since the sun will be setting later, the Star Party will be between 9 pm – 11 pm.
Spring Carnival at Battle Point Park
May 2, 2026 10:00 – 14:00
North end of Battle Point Park
Come find our Battle Point Observatory booth at the Spring Carnival! Family friendly games, activities, food, and more, hosted by the Parks department. At the north end of Battle Point Park.