What’s Up in Denver? May 18th through 24th, 2026

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Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

May 18:

The Moon and Venus
The Moon and Venus

May 19:

Big Black Holes, Bigger Problems — Mysteries from the Dawn of Time to Our Own Backdoor
Big Black Holes, Bigger Problems — Mysteries from the Dawn of Time to Our Own Backdoor

May 20:

The Moon with Jupiter, Castor and Pollux.
The Moon with Jupiter, Castor and Pollux.

May 21:

 

May 22:

An image of the planet Uranus taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986. NASA/JPL-Caltech
An image of the planet Uranus taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986. NASA/JPL-Caltech
  • 🪐 Uranus reaches Conjunction with Sun, passing behind our star from earth’s perspective and will disappear from the evening skies and reappear in the morning skies in June.

May 23:

  • 🔭 DAS Open House!: FREE, in-person, public event at the Chamberlin Observatory: 8:30 PM’
  • 🔭 Colorado Springs Astronomical Society Star Party: Free, in-person, public event at Garden of the Gods: 8:30 PM
  • 👀 Look for the first quarter Strawberry Moon next to Regulus, the bright alpha star of Leo that makes the point at the bottom of the Sickle asterism:
  • 🌓 First quarter Strawberry Moon: 5:10 AM
  • 🌓 The first quarter Strawberry Moon reaches its Descending Node, the point in its orbit where it passes from the northern to the southern celestial hemisphere: 11:26 AM

May 24:

8-day-old Moon
8-day-old Moon

This Week’s Solar System Summary:

  • The Sun shifts from rising about 5:50 AM to 5:46 AM, while sunset moves from 8:07 PM to 8:12 PM, continuing the steady increase in daylight as Denver approaches summer.
  • The Moon rises in the early morning hours at the start of the week and shifts into the morning and afternoon hours by the weekend, while moonset moves from the evening into the late evening hours.
  • Venus continues to shine brilliantly in the western sky after sunset and sets between 10:50 PM and 11:00 PM.
  • Jupiter remains visible in the evening sky but is gradually sinking into the western twilight, setting between about 12:45 AM and 12:25 AM.
  • Mercury begins emerging from superior conjunction but remains buried in the Sun’s glare and is not yet observable. Mars and Saturn remain very low in the eastern sky before sunrise, offering only brief and difficult observing opportunities for experienced observers with a clear horizon.
  • Uranus sets between 9:15 PM and 9:00 PM and is becoming increasingly difficult to observe as it disappears into evening twilight and is in conjunction with the sun on the 22nd.
  • Neptune rises shortly before sunrise and sets in the late afternoon, remaining a challenging telescopic target requiring excellent conditions.

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.

  • Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM in western Libra near σ Librae: About 2 per hour
  • η Aquariids (ETA): 4:00–5:00 AM low in Aquarius near α Aquarii (Sadalmelik): About 2–5 per hour (decreasing after peak; low radiant limits Denver rates)
  • May ε-Delphinids (MDE): 4:00 AM in Delphinus near ε Delphini: Less than 1 per hour
  • May ψ-Scorpiids (MPS): 3:00–4:00 AM low in Scorpius near ψ Scorpii: Less than 1 per hour

Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS:

Sky Map

Clear skies and happy stargazing!