The goal of the KIRB Night Sky initiative is to provide education, guidance, and programming regarding the importance of dark Night Skies to Real County and the Frio and Nueces Canyons.
Real County is well known for its beauty and natural resources, including the Frio River, Nueces River, rolling hills and stunning vistas—day and night. KIRB works to educate landowners and visitors about the benefits of dark skies for wildlife, humans, and for the promotion of astrotourism. Programs are designed to inform homeowners, businesses, and tourists about ways you can help protect the scenic nightime beauty we sometimes take for granted.
What’s going on in our night sky MAY 2026?
Overall sky conditions and seasonal context:
May features rapidly lengthening days and later sunsets as the sun climbs higher in the sky, signaling the approach of summer fun in the Hill Country. On the evening of May 20th, look for Venus, Jupiter, the Moon, and star cluster M35 in the constellation Gemini, in the western sky.
🌠 Meteor Showers:
Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower is the major meteor event of May. It is active from about April 19 through May 28, with peak activity occurring during the pre‑dawn hours of May 5–6. This shower is caused by debris from Halley’s Comet and is known for fast-moving meteors with long trails. Visibility is reduced this May due to a bright waning gibbous Moon. Look low to the east and southeast after bout 2:30 a.m. CDT, and try to hide the moon behind a tree for better results.
🌑 Full and New Moons
May 2026 features two full moons. The first on May 1: The Full Flower Moon, named for abundant spring blooms; it is also a micro-moon, appearing slightly smaller than average. The second full moon is on May 31, called Blue Moon (the second full moon in one calendar month). May’s New Moon occurs on May 16, providing the darkest skies of the month. See TimeAndDate.com for specific date moonrise and moonset times.
🌅 Sunrise and Sunset Times:
In the beginning of May the sun rises around 6:54 a.m. CDT, with sunset around 8:20 p.m. CDT. At the end of May, the sunrise occurs around 6:38 a.m. CDT and sets around 8:34 p.m. CDT. Day length increases by roughly 28 minutes over the month. The end of astronomical twilight, the time the last of the sunlight disappears, is 10:08pm CDT on May 31st. SeeTimeAndDate.com for more sunrise and sunset times for specific dates in Real County.
🪐 Planet Visibility:
Venus is brilliant and unmistakable, shining low in the west after sunset throughout May. Jupiter is visible in the western evening sky, setting a few hours after sunset as the month progresses. Mars is a morning planet, visible before dawn in the east. Saturn is also visible before dawn, rising in the southeast. Mercury is very difficult to see for most of May due to its proximity to the Sun. Uranus and Neptune are technically observable with telescopes but poorly placed and challenging.
You can see a lot with your naked eyes or a set of binoculars this May
After dark, look overhead for the Big Dipper to be emptying its cup over the headwaters of the Frio Canyon. If it hasn’t already gone down, look for Orion in the west. This might be the last time to view the warrior until next winter. Leo and Virgo will be along the ecliptic overhead and towards the south. The bright star, Spica, in Virgo is easy to spot. Around 2am, Scorpius is in the low southern sky marked by the red supergiant Antares. The Milky Way begins to become more noticeable in the pre‑dawn sky toward the south and southeast by late May.
🔍 Binocular Highlights:
With binoculars, Look at the Coma Star Cluster on the western side of Coma Berenices. Matt Wedel of Sky and Telescope magazine compares it to an archipelago of stars, with reefs and shoals of dimmer suns. If you are up at 4am, look for the Lagoon Nebula (M8) a glowing star‑forming region in Sagittarius.
For more celestial objects to see, check out the back of a current month’s sky map. You might also listen to the Sky and Telescope’s monthly Sky Tour podcast.
NIGHT SKY FRIENDLY BUSINESS RECOGnition program
WHAT IS IT?
- It is a program sponsored by Keep It Real Beautiful and Friends of the Night Sky, endorsed by the Hill Country Alliance, and supported by the Frio Canyon Chamber of Commerce. Its purpose is to recognize businesses and organizations that have Night Sky Friendly outdoor lighting and to encourage others to follow suit.
WHY IS IT?
- The goal is to protect and preserve the treasured natural resource that is the Hill Country’s starry nighttime skies. The program encourages the practice of responsible outdoor lighting. Such lighting will prevent light from escaping above the horizon into the nighttime sky, causing sky glow and glare, forms of light pollution.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR MY BUSINESS?
- The starry nighttime sky is a natural wonder to be enjoyed by all who live in or visit Real County and all our river canyons.
- There are almost 4 million people who live in light polluted urban and suburban areas, within short driving distances, where it is almost impossible to view pristine nighttime skies. For many of these people, an overnight trip to our area to see the stars would be a treat. “Heads in beds” means more business for our motels, B&Bs, restaurants, service stations, and other commercial entities as well as for our state park. Protecting our night sky from light pollution ensures this valuable resource will endure.
- You can advertise as “Night Sky Friendly,” attracting even long distance and international travelers who are seeking the natural beauty of dark night skies.
HOW CAN MY BUSINESS PARTICIPATE?
- All outdoor lighting on your premises is shielded and aimed downward so that no light trespasses beyond the business property boundary or above the horizontal plane into the sky. Lighting is directed only when and where it is needed for the task at hand. Motion detector lighting and extinguished lighting after hours is preferred.
- Lighting is not so bright as to cause glare or to reduce visibility in unlit areas.
- The color of outdoor lighting is amber or warm white versus bright white or blue. Lighting with a color temperature of less than or equal to 3000 Kelvin is ideal.
- Any business or organization in the area can request that the Friends of the Night Sky team conduct an evaluation of its outdoor lighting to determine if it qualifies for recognition and/or to recommend lighting solutions for problematic fixtures.
HOW WILL MY BUSINESS BE RECOGNIZED?
A business or organization that meets the criteria listed above receives recognition as a Night Sky Friendly Business with:
- A Certificate of Merit presented by Keep It Real Beautiful (KIRB) and Friends of the Night Sky for display inside your business.
- A window decal display to announce to customers your recognition as a Night Sky Friendly Business
- The right to use the Night Sky Friendly Business logo in your advertising, including on your website
- A listing as a night sky friendly business with a link to your business’s website on the websites of the Frio Canyon Chamber of Commerce, Keep it Real Beautiful, and the Hill Country Alliance
- Special recognition at any Night Sky events held by the Keep It Real Beautiful/Friends of the Night Sky
- Publicity in local media outlets
KIRB RECOGNIZED night sky FRIENDLY businessES
TxDot-Leakey Office
The Springs Retreat
Crider’s East Cabins
Camp Riverview
Frio Canyon Vineyard and Leakey Drug Tasting Room
Dora’s Nursery
Historic Leakey Inn/The Back Porch
please support these night sky FRIENDLY businessEs and thank them for helping to protect our hill country night skies!
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Annual October night sky month posters set of all 6 years now available FOR $50 DONATION
MORE INFORMATION:
Why should we decrease light pollution/improve Night Skies?
Hill Country Dark Night Skies Initiatives Gain Momentum in Real and Surrounding Counties
