The sky holds endless cosmic treasures to admire all year round, but one of the most valuable sights will soon shine at its brightest: the Milky Way. The last two weeks of May 2025 are anticipated to be the perfect time to view our home galaxy, which usually becomes more visible on Earth as summer approaches. Although the Milky Way will soon come out to play in the night sky, you’ll need to follow a few steps in order to see its emergence. Find out how to watch our galaxy appear over the coming weeks, and for the rest of the summer. When Will the Milky Way Be Visible? The Milky Way will become increasingly visible near the end of May because of the moon’s changing phases. Over the next few days, the moon will undergo its waning crescent phase, leaving only a small sliver of it visible from Earth. Then, on Monday, May 26, 2025, it will enter the New Moon phase, when it will be 0 percent illuminated and invisible in the sky. This is perfect for those who want to see the Milky Way. The moon contributes to skyglow during its fuller stages, obscuring stars from view; when it is not shining as bright, spectacles like the Milky Way are easier to spot. Read More: 10 Facts You May Not Know About the Milky WayEscaping Light PollutionThe moon is not even the main culprit of skyglow. Light pollution is another factor to consider, as it can conceal the full picture of the sky. To see the Milky Way in all its glory, you’ll want to keep the Bortle scale in mind. This scale measures night sky brightness, going from 1 (excellent dark sky, typically seen in the most remote of areas) to 9 (inner-city sky).A Class 9 sky, clogged by light pollution, will only display the moon and a smattering of the brightest planets and stars. A Class 1 sky, on the other hand, will show everything the sky has to offer, granting a spectacular view of the Milky Way.When looking for the Milky Way, it is also ideal to travel to high altitudes and face south. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, this will give you a great view; however, those in the Southern Hemisphere get an even better view because of the way it faces the galactic center. The Milky Way's Appearance From our point of view on Earth, the Milky Way looks like a cloudy streak cutting across the sky — this is actually the center of our galaxy. Meanwhile, Earth sits on one of the Milky Way’s spiral arms (the Orion arm), roughly halfway from the galactic center.However, it isn’t possible to discern the true extent of the galactic center in visible light. The band of light we see in the night sky is mostly gas and dust. Yet, the galactic center is packed with an unthinkable amount of extremely dense stars. It is also home to a supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). Also within the constellation Sagittarius is the teapot asterism, a small pattern of stars that gives the Milky Way a distinct semblance of rising steam. While the remainder of May will be a great time to see the Milky Way, the window won’t close any time soon. For the entire summer (and even into fall), our galaxy will show up clearly in the sky — granted you pick the right spot and time of month to watch.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:European Southern Observatory. How light pollution affects the dark night skiesNASA. Galactic CenterJack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.