Astronomy

🌌 Night Sky This Week Through May 8th, 2026

Night sky this week through May 8th, 2026, spring is definitely starting to make itself known. It’s a fun change to watch unfold. The evenings are getting longer, there’s still a bit of chill hanging in the air, and the stars are slowly shifting into their new seasonal lineup. It’s that in-between time where winter hasn’t quite let go, but spring is clearly taking over. Honestly, it’s the perfect excuse to step outside for a few minutes and just look up.

🌙 Evening Highlights

Blossoming branches with pink flowers against a glowing full moon, reflected in tranquil water. Dreamy, serene night scene.

Starting on Friday (May 1st) in the night sky tonight, we get a full moon, and it’s a bit of a special one. This is 2026’s only Blue Moon month, meaning we’ll see two full moons in May, with the second arriving on the last day of the month. The one rising tonight is the full Flower Moon, and it also happens to be a micromoon, sitting a little farther from Earth in its orbit than usual.

Along with the name Flower Moon, you might also hear it called the Planting Moon or Milk Moon—names that tie back to the rhythms of spring and early agriculture.

Night sky illustration with Venus, Aldebaran, and Pleiades in Taurus. Text: "Dusk, May 1, 45 minutes after sunset. Looking West-Northwest."

Right after sunset, Venus is putting on a great show. It’s brilliant and hard to miss, often popping into view before the rest of the stars. Look toward the west-northwest, and it’ll be one of the first things you see. Just below it sits the reddish star Aldebaran, marking the eye of Taurus the Bull.

Jupiter's location in Gemini constellation at dusk on May 8, shown 1 hour after sunset. Labels: Pollux, Castor. Text: Looking West.

Higher up in the western sky, Jupiter shines bright and steady. It’s easy to spot and stick around for most of the evening before setting after midnight. If you’ve got binoculars, take a quick look. You might even catch its four largest moons lined up like tiny points of light. Over the next several weeks, Jupiter and Venus will appear to drift closer together, which is always fun to watch night by night.

🌅 Early Morning Highlights

If you’re up early—or just getting in late, there’s still plenty to see before sunrise.

Dawn sky on May 2, 20 mins before sunrise. Mars and Saturn visible in Pisces constellation, looking east over silhouetted trees and church.

Saturn rises about 45 minutes before the Sun in the eastern sky. It’s still pretty low, so you’ll need a clear horizon to spot it.

Nearby, Mars sits a little lower and to the left, making it a bit trickier to pick out for now, but it’ll get easier as we move deeper into May.

Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower map showing Aquarius constellation, "Water Jug," meteor paths. Text: "South, May Before Dawn." Dark blue sky.

Midweek brings the peak of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower on Wednesday morning. Under ideal conditions, you might see up to 50 meteors per hour, though the bright moon this year will cut that number down quite a bit. Still, the brighter meteors should shine through. This shower comes from debris left behind by Halley’s Comet. This is always a neat connection to keep in mind while you’re watching.

✨ Constellations

This is where the seasonal shift really starts to stand out.

Constellation of Leo the Lion with stars labeled Denebola and Regulus. "The Sickle" outlined. Text: EarthSky.org. Black background.

Around 10 PM, look overhead, and you’ll spot Leo the Lion. It’s easy to recognize, once you know what to look for, a backward question mark shape (called the Sickle) with a triangle trailing behind it. The brightest star here is Regulus, sitting right at the base of that question mark.

There’s some neat history tied to Leo, too. In ancient Egypt, when the Sun moved into Leo, it lined up with the annual flooding of the Nile, bringing life-giving water. That’s part of why lion imagery showed up so often in fountains built by the Greeks and Romans.

Off to the west, Taurus the Bull is starting to dip lower each night. You can still pick out its V-shaped face, with Aldebaran glowing orange as the eye. It won’t be around much longer in the evening sky. So now’s a good time to take one last look before it fades into the sunset over the coming weeks.

Moons of May 2–3 near Scorpius constellation. Antares and moon paths marked. Cityscape silhouette below. Text: "Looking Southeast."

Meanwhile, as Orion the Hunter slips away in the west, Scorpius the Scorpion begins rising in the southeast. On Sunday night, around 11 PM, the Moon will sit very close to Antares, the bright red heart of the scorpion, a nice pairing if you’re out looking.

If you get a clear night, even just a few minutes outside can be worth it. This is one of those times of year when the sky feels like it’s in transition. You can actually watch it happen night by night.

Real Estate (Farm & Ranch Land)

A Handful of Tick Species

In South Dakota, you’ll run into a handful of tick species pretty regularly, especially from spring through early fall when things start to green up, and people are spending more time outside. The main ones are well documented by groups like the South Dakota Department of Health and SDSU Extension. Once you know what to look for, it gets a lot easier to recognize what you’re dealing with.

The image shows a reddish-brown, oval-bodied hard tick resting on a green blade of grass. It has eight reddish-brown legs and a prominent, ornate cream-colored scutum on its anterior dorsal surface. The posterior margin of its body features distinct scalloped indentations (festoons).

The one most folks are familiar with is the American dog tick, often called a wood tick. This is the most common tick you’ll find statewide. They hang out in grassy fields, along trails, and even right off the side of the road. They’re a bit larger than some of the others and have that reddish-brown color with lighter markings. These are the ticks people are usually pulling off themselves, kids, or dogs after being outside. They can carry diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, so they’re not something to ignore.

A close-up photograph shows an adult female blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), also commonly known as a deer tick, perched on the surface of a vibrant green leaf.

Then you’ve got the blacklegged tick, also known as the deer tick. These are found mostly in eastern South Dakota, especially in wooded or brushy areas. They’re much smaller, sometimes no bigger than a poppy seed when young, which makes them easy to miss. Even though they’re tiny, they get a lot of attention because they can transmit Lyme disease. If there’s one tick people tend to worry about the most, it’s this one. Mainly because it can go unnoticed for longer.

An extreme close-up of a reddish-brown lone star tick crawling across the textured surface of a vibrant green leaf. The tick is characterized by a distinctive, bright white or silvery spot on its back.

Another one showing up more often is the lone star tick. Its range has been expanding, and it’s becoming more common in parts of the state. You’ll usually find them in brushy areas or along the edges of woods in the western parts of the state. The females are easy to identify thanks to that single white dot on their back—the “lone star.” These ticks are a bit more aggressive than others and will actively seek out a host instead of just waiting around. They’re known to spread ehrlichiosis and have been linked to alpha-gal syndrome, which can cause a red meat allergy.

The image shows an adult female Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) perched on the tip of a green leaf.

Out west, you’re more likely to run into the Rocky Mountain wood tick. They look pretty similar to the American dog tick, but they’re more tied to grasslands and shrub areas in western South Dakota. Like the others, they can carry diseases like Colorado tick fever and certain spotted fevers, being the main ones. If you’re spending time in those western parts of the state, especially in open range or prairie country, these are the ones to keep in mind.

When you’re heading out into tall grass, pastures, or wooded areas, a little planning. What you wear can go a long way in keeping ticks off you. Start with the basics, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a good pair of high boots. It might not be the coolest outfit on a warm South Dakota day, but covering up exposed skin makes it much harder for ticks to latch on in the first place. Choosing light-colored clothing is another simple trick that really helps, since ticks are much easier to spot before they can attach.

It’s also worth taking things a step further by treating your clothing and gear with permethrin (0.5%). This treatment sticks around for several washes and adds an extra layer of protection. If you’d rather not treat items yourself, you can find pre-treated clothing that’s ready to go. For any exposed skin, use an EPA-registered insect repellent. Products containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or 2-undecanone are all solid options—just be sure to follow the directions on the label so you’re getting the protection you expect.

Don’t forget about your dogs, especially if they’re running through pasture, shelterbelts, or along creek bottoms. Ticks love to hitch a ride on them and can easily end up in your home. Using a veterinarian-recommended tick preventive, whether that’s a collar, topical treatment, or oral medication, can make a big difference. It’s also a good habit to check your dogs over after they’ve been outside, paying close attention to areas like around the ears, under the collar, between the toes, and along the belly.

Around your home, a little yard maintenance can go a long way in reducing tick habitat. Keep grass mowed, trim back weeds and brush, and clean up leaf litter where ticks like to hide. If you have a yard that borders pasture or trees, consider creating a barrier with gravel or wood chips to limit tick movement into your lawn. Keeping play areas and frequently used spaces open and sunny can also help, since ticks prefer cool, shaded, and moist environments.

Garden almanac

Dandelions are Popping Up

Closeup of dandelions blooming in a lawn

Dandelions are popping up and blooming early this year, and honestly, it’s not much of a mystery. A milder winter and warmer spring gave them a head start. If you’re looking to keep them in check, spot spraying with a three-way weed killer can help. For best results, spray when they’re actively growing and daytime temps are around 60–75°F. Try not to mow right before or after spraying—give it a day or two so the plant can really take in the product.

That said, one of the best long-term fixes is improving your lawn itself. Increasing soil fertility and aerating will help thicken your grass and crowd out weeds naturally. And keep this in mind—fall is actually the most effective time to control dandelions since they’re pulling nutrients down into their roots. This will keep those dandelions from popping up.

Label for Roundup Weedkiller with instructions for use and ingredients

Speaking of weed control, a lot of people are asking about Roundup. It’s a nonselective herbicide, meaning it will kill just about anything green it touches. The concern usually centers around glyphosate, but some newer Roundup products now use different active ingredients. That’s why it’s so important to read the label carefully. Not all products are meant for the same use, some are for lawns, others for driveways or gravel areas.

And let’s be honest, most of us skim the label and look at the rates. But the fine print is where the important details are, like where you can safely use it and what plants it may harm. Also, try to spray on calm days. Around here, wind drift can carry herbicides farther than you think and damage nearby plants.

The same goes for “all-natural” herbicides. Just because something sounds safer doesn’t mean it won’t cause damage. Ingredients like vinegar can burn or kill any plant they touch if used improperly. Natural or not, always follow the label directions.

A group of mushrooms growing in a lawn

Now, if you’re seeing mushrooms popping up in your lawn, don’t panic. They’re actually doing good work, breaking down organic matter in the soil—often old roots or buried wood. You’ll usually see them after a stretch of rain followed by warm temperatures. Sometimes they even show up in rings, which can point to old root systems underground.

In most cases, they’re harmless and temporary. The only time you may want to remove them is if you’ve got kids or pets that might try to eat them. Otherwise, you can mow them over or let them run their course. Improving drainage and reducing thatch can help cut down on future outbreaks. And no, most lawn mushrooms aren’t edible—best to leave taste-testing off the table.

For those keeping an eye on apple trees, if the freeze doesn’t knock back your crop and you’ve had issues with leaf spotting like scab or rust, it’s time to stay ahead of it. Apple scab usually shows up as dark olive spots on leaves, while cedar rust appears as bright orange spots. An all-purpose orchard spray applied after petals fall and once fruit sets can help manage these issues. From there, you’ll want to stay on a spray schedule—usually every 7–14 days, depending on weather conditions. Good airflow through proper pruning also helps reduce disease pressure.

A tree trunk with bark splitting vertically from planting the young tree too deep

Planting trees this time of year? Whether they’re bare-root or container-grown, make sure you plant them at the same depth they were growing before. With bare root trees, look for that color change on the trunk—that marks the old soil line. Planting too deeply can lead to bark splitting and rot later on.

If you’re planting from a container and see roots circling, take a knife and make a couple of vertical cuts in two or three places. This keeps the roots from girdling the tree years down the road. After planting, water deeply and keep the soil consistently moist (not soggy) through the first growing season. Adding 2–3 inches of mulch helps retain moisture, just keep it pulled back from the trunk. In our windy conditions, staking young trees for the first year can also help keep them upright.

A Pearl Bush shrub with white flowers

Another tough shrub to consider is the Pearl Bush. It’s part of the rose family and grows about 5 to 6 feet tall and wide. It’s one of the first shrubs to bloom, covered in white flowers early in the season, and even the dry seed pods add some winter interest. It does best in full sun to light shade and prefers well-drained soil. Like lilacs, it blooms on old wood, so any pruning should be done right after it flowers.

With the early spring we’re seeing, staying a step ahead on lawn care and planting now will make all the difference as we head into summer.