Stargazing from May to June

how to learn stargazing

The constellations that can be seen at the end of spring offer lots of wonders to contemplate during mild evenings.
Click on your location: Northern hemisphere | Southern hemisphere

Northern hemisphere

Star map from May to June in the Northern hemisphere



Stargazing in May and June in the northern hemisphere

1) M5 globular cluster

Observation hours: all night.

Far from any light pollution, it is visible to the naked eye. It is one of the oldest known globular clusters, around 13 billion years old. It is located in the Serpens constellation. Through binoculars, it looks like a little blurry star. Using a larger telescope, you will see many stars around the edge of the globular cluster. Measuring approximately 165 light years in diameter, it is one of the largest globular clusters. It is 24,500 light years from Earth.

m5 serpens constellation

2) Sunflower Galaxy (M63)

Observation hours: all night.

M63, the Sunflower galaxy, is undoubtedly one of the prettiest spiral galaxies in the night sky. Located in the Hunting Dogs constellation, it was discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain in 1779 and then cataloged by Charles Messier. It has a central core surrounded by short spiral arms and belongs to the group of galaxies which also includes M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy. In 1971, a star in this galaxy exploded as a supernova. Viewed through binoculars, M63 looks like a faint light spot.


m63 sunflower galaxy

3) M83 Galaxy

Observation hours: during dark night hours.

Sometimes known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, M83 is located in the Hydra constellation. It is located low on the horizon for observers of the northern hemisphere. It is one of the brightest spiral galaxies. It is located 15 million light years from Earth. Its structure is easy to detect because it is a spiral galaxy seen from the front.


m83 galaxy

4) Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)

Observation hours: all night.

Like M83, it is a spiral galaxy seen from the front. M101 is located 21 million light years from Earth, in the Big Dipper. Its diameter of 170,000 light years is 70% larger than the diameter of the Milky Way.


m101 pinwheel galaxy

Southern hemisphere

Star map from May to June in the Southern hemisphere



Stargazing in May and June in the southern hemisphere

1) M4 globular cluster

Observation hours: all night.

This globular cluster is only 1.3 degrees west of the star Antares, in the Scorpius constellation. Through binoculars, we see a blurry spot of light. Through a telescope, the object looks like a granular and dense ball of stars. M4 is about 7200 light years from Earth.

m4 globular cluster

2) M62 globular cluster

Observation hours: all night.

Located on the edges of the Scorpius and Ophiuchus constellations, M62 is another globular cluster associated with our galaxy. This cluster is 22,500 light years from Earth and is believed to be approximately 11.8 billion years old. It is less bright than its neighbor M4.


m62 globular cluster

3) NGC 362 globular cluster

Observation hours: one or two hours after sunset until early morning.

This group of stars is often overlooked due to its proximity to 47 Tucanae, which is very bright. You can observe it south of this globular cluster and, like its neighbor, it is located on the edge of the Small Magellanic Cloud. Through binoculars, it looks like a round spot.


ngc 362 globular cluster

4) M7 star cluster

Observation hours: all night.

Easy to spot with the naked eye, this beautiful star cluster is also known as the Ptolemy Cluster. It is located near the tail of the Scorpius constellation. It contains nearly 80 stars and extends over a 1.3-degree visual field. M7 is located about 800 light years from Earth, its diameter is 25 light years. Its age is estimated to be around 200 million years.


m7 ptolemy cluster





Image credits

  • Serpens constellation (M5): ESA/Hubble & NASA / Public domain
  • Sunflower galaxy (M63): NASA/ESA – The Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA): Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility (ST-ECF), and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC) – zoranknez (Aladin software) / Public domain
  • M83 Galaxy: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)Acknowledgement: William Blair (Johns Hopkins University) / Public domain
  • Pinwheel Galaxy (M101): ESA/Hubble / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
  • M4 globular cluster: ESO. Acknowledgement: ESO Imaging Survey / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)
  • M62 globular cluster: en:NASA, en:STScI, en:WikiSky / Public domain
  • NGC 362 globular cluster: ESA/Hubble / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
  • M7 star cluster: ESO / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)