| Night Time: | 8 hours, 48 minutes |
|---|---|
| Sunset: | May 8 at 8:40 pm |
| End of Twilight*: | May 8 at 10:11 pm |
| Start of Twilight*: | May 9 at 3:58 am |
| Sunrise: | May 9 at 5:28 am |
Skywatching in May
Highlights for this month include a Moon-Venus close approach around May 18.
Our Interactive Night Sky Map simulates the sky above Blandford Forum. The Moon and planets have been enlarged slightly for clarity. On mobile devices, tap to steer the map by pointing your device at the sky. Need some help?
Currently showing previous night. For planet visibility in the coming night, please check again after 12 noon.
Tonight's Sky in Blandford Forum, May 8 – May 9, 2026
Mercury rise and set in Blandford Forum
Fairly close to the Sun. Visible only before sunrise and/or after sunset.
Mercury is just 7 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult to see.
Sat, May 9 ↑5:21 am
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Venus rise and set in Blandford Forum
View after sunset.
Venus can best be seen in the hours just after sunset. Visibility improves as the sunlight fades. Venus is visible by day, but may be hard to find.
Fri, May 8 ↓11:25 pm
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Mars rise and set in Blandford Forum
Try before sunrise.
Mars rises shortly before sunrise, so it is very close to the horizon. This makes it very difficult to observe.
Sat, May 9 ↑4:42 am
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Jupiter rise and set in Blandford Forum
View after sunset.
Jupiter can best be seen in the hours just after sunset. Visibility improves as the sunlight fades.
Sat, May 9 ↓1:34 am
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Saturn rise and set in Blandford Forum
View before sunrise.
Saturn can best be seen in the hours just before sunrise. Visibility deteriorates as the sky gets brighter. It is quite close to the horizon, making it fainter because the light has to cover a larger distance when traveling through the Earth's atmosphere. Make sure to get an unobstructed view.
Sat, May 9 ↑4:27 am
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Uranus rise and set in Blandford Forum
Very close to Sun, hard or impossible to see.
Uranus is just 13 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult or impossible to see it.
Fri, May 8 ↓9:47 pm
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Neptune rise and set in Blandford Forum
View before sunrise. Use binoculars.
Neptune can best be seen in the hours just before sunrise. Visibility deteriorates as the sky gets brighter. Very faint, use binoculars.
Sat, May 9 ↑4:11 am
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Planets Visible in Blandford Forum
| Planetrise/Planetset, Sat, May 9, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet | Rise | Set | Meridian | Comment |
| Mercury | Sat 5:21 am | Sat 8:05 pm | Sat 12:41 pm | Difficult to see |
| Venus | Fri 6:49 am | Fri 11:25 pm | Fri 3:06 pm | Good visibility |
| Mars | Sat 4:42 am | Sat 6:09 pm | Sat 11:25 am | Difficult to see |
| Jupiter | Fri 9:24 am | Sat 1:34 am | Fri 5:29 pm | Fairly good visibility |
| Saturn | Sat 4:27 am | Sat 4:52 pm | Sat 10:40 am | Average visibility |
| Uranus | Fri 6:07 am | Fri 9:47 pm | Fri 1:57 pm | Extremely difficult to see |
| Neptune | Sat 4:11 am | Sat 4:18 pm | Sat 10:14 am | Very difficult to see |
