The night sky on your birthday: May 9
May 9 is day 130 of the year. Here is what the sky holds for everyone born on it — and a way to get the real sky above the exact place and hour you were born.
The Sun's constellation on May 9
On your birthday the Sun stands in front of Aries, even though horoscopes call May 9 Taurus: the zodiac signs were fixed about 2,000 years ago and the sky has drifted since (precession of the equinoxes). Because the Sun is in Aries, that constellation is hidden in daylight on your birthday: you see it best around six months later.
Overhead at midnight on May 9
- Northern hemisphere (40°N — New York, Madrid, Beijing): Boötes, Hercules, Corona Borealis and Ursa Major; brightest stars high up: Arcturus (66°), Vega (50°) and Spica (34°).
- Southern hemisphere (40°S — Melbourne, Buenos Aires region, Wellington): Centaurus, Lupus, Norma and Libra; brightest stars high up: Rigil Kentaurus (69°), Toliman (69°) and Antares (68°).
Meteor showers around May 9
Active on your birthday: Eta Aquariids (3 days from peak). On a dark night away from city lights you can make a wish on a real shooting star.
The Moon on your next birthday
On the evening of May 9, 2027 the Moon will be waxing crescent (16% lit): a dark sky, good for stargazing.
The exact sky of the night you were born
These are averages for a latitude. Your own sky depends on the city, the year and the hour: Firmament draws the real stars, constellations, Moon and planets above your birthplace at your birth time, as a print-ready A3 poster — $4.99, delivered instantly as a PDF.
Make the sky of the night you were born — $4.99
Set your year and city on the next page; the day and month are already filled in.