As seen from the islands, a small portion of the sun will be blocked by the moon on the afternoon of May 20. From Honolulu the first contact of moon and sun will occur at 2:03 p.m.

By 3:15 p.m., the time of deepest eclipse, about a tenth of the sun will be blocked by the moon. The eclipse will end at 4:12 p.m.

In the western U.S., May 20 will bring an annular eclipse, which occurs when the moon is unusually distant from the Earth and so too small to cover the entire disk of the sun.

Remember it is never safe to view an eclipse without a proper filter. Bishop Museum’s Shop Pacifica will have a good stock of inexpensive solar viewers.

Lahaina Noon

In the tropics, the sun passes overhead twice during the year. On these two days, at local noon, the sun will be exactly overhead and an upright object such as a flagpole will have no shadow.

While sometimes called "shadowless noon," "zenith noon" or "overhead noon," there was no handy term for this phenomenon in the islands, so Bishop Museum had a contest in the early 1990s to name it. The winning term, "LahainaNoon," means "cruel sun."

Here are dates and times:

» May 18: Hilo, 12:16 p.m.; and Kailua-Kona, 12:20 p.m.

» May 23: Hana, 12:20 p.m.; Kahului, 12:22 p.m.; and Lahaina, 12:23 p.m.

» May 25: Kaunakakai, Molokai, 12:24 p.m.; and Lanai City, 12:24 p.m.

» May 26: Honolulu, 12:28 p.m.

» May 27: Kaneohe, 12:28 p.m.

» May 30: Lihue, 12:35 p.m.

Planets in May

Venus has been our bright evening light for months. That ends in May. In early May, Venus sets around 10 p.m. Every night Venus will be a little lower in the west at dusk. By May 25, it will be only about 10 degrees above the horizon at dusk (the width of your hand at arm’s length) and will set by 8:30 p.m. Venus will be lost in the sun’s light by month’s end.

Mars shines high in the evening skies against the backdrop of Leo the Lion. At the start of May, Mars is high in the south at dusk and shines several times brighter than the star Regulus in Leo. In early May, Mars sets by 2:45 a.m. By month’s end, Mars has faded and shines high in the west at dusk and sets just after 1 a.m. Look for the waxing gibbous moon close to Mars on Tuesday and June 1.

May is another good Saturn month. At dusk in early May, Saturn is about a third of the way up in the east, overhead at 11:30 p.m. and sets at 5:15 a.m. By the end of the month, Saturn is two-thirds of the way up in the east at dusk, halfway down in the west at midnight, and sets by 3:15 a.m.

You’ll notice that Saturn appears twinned with the star Spica in Virgo, about 5 degrees to the right of Saturn. The two dots of light will remain about 5 degrees apart all month, and look like two eyes staring at you. Saturn is slightly brighter and slightly yellow while Spica is slightly blue. On Tuesday and May 31, look for the waxing gibbous moon near Saturn.

Mercury puts in a fleeting predawn appearance in the first few days of May. From May 1-7, look for Mercury in the east around 5:20 a.m. above the eastern horizon.

May stars

In May we say farewell to the great constellations of winter. Canis Major, Orion, Auriga, Taurus and the Pleiades are all gone. The first star of the summer triangle, Vega, rises in the east. May is prime time for the Southern Cross, low in the south. The Southern Cross is officially known as "Crux." You need a clear, flat horizon in the south to see it.

Leaping over Crux is Centaurus the Centaur. Two brilliant stars, Alpha and Beta Centauri, mark his knees. Alpha and Beta Centauri are much easier to find than the Southern Cross, so find those two stars first, then go to the right and that will lead you to the Cross.

Scorpius, known here as Maui’s Fishhook, is just to the left of the Cross and has just cleared the horizon by the time of the May star map. Arcturus is high overhead. You may know it better by the name Hokule‘a.

In the north, both the Big Dipper and fainter Little Dipper are in prime location for viewing, though you’ll need a dark location to find the stars of the Little Dipper. Draco the Dragon winds between the dippers.

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Mike Shanahan is director of Education, Exhibits and Planetarium. For more information, go to www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/planetarium.html