Flower Moon

May's full moon, the Flower Moon, reaches peak illumination on Thursday, May 20, 2027, at 6:59 a.m. EDT (10:59 UTC). To the naked eye, the Moon looks full for about a day on either side of the peak. That makes the evenings of May 19 and May 20 the best nights to watch it rise.

Quick facts

Peak time by US time zone

The Moon is exactly full at one instant worldwide. Only the clock reading changes.

Times are calculated with the open-source astronomy-engine library. Other published sources may differ by about a minute because of rounding.

Is it a supermoon?

No. At full phase the Moon is about 393,893 km from Earth (center to center), not close enough to perigee (366,621 km) to qualify under the common definitions.

Best viewing tips

Watch the moonrise. In New York City, the Moon rises at about 7:52 p.m. on May 19 (sunset 8:09 p.m.) and at about 8:57 p.m. on May 20 (sunset 8:10 p.m.). Times for your city will differ, so check the Moonlix moonrise page for your location.

Find a clear eastern horizon. Near the horizon, the full moon often looks orange and unusually large. The color comes from Earth's atmosphere filtering out blue light. The size is the well-known Moon illusion, a trick of perception rather than a real change.

Where it sits in the sky. At its highest, this full moon is low in the sky for mid-northern US latitudes. Late-spring full moons ride lower in the southern sky. Late sunsets push moonrise later into the evening, so plan for a later start.

Binoculars and cameras. Ordinary 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars show the dark lunar seas and the bright rays around the crater Tycho. For photos, use a tripod and a telephoto lens, shoot during blue hour just after sunset, and expose for the Moon. A good starting point is ISO 100, f/8 and 1/250 s.

Name origin and folklore

The Flower Moon name reflects the wildflowers that bloom across much of North America in May. Planting Moon refers to the traditional time for sowing crops in many northern regions.

Other names recorded for this month's full moon include Planting Moon, Milk Moon. Most full moon names popular in the US today were spread by the Old Farmer's Almanac and the Farmers' Almanac. Native nations had their own names, which varied by region and language, so no single list is "official."

What else is in the sky

The main meteor shower this month is the Eta Aquariids (early May). Check the Moon's phase on the peak night, because bright moonlight hides fainter meteors. Use the May 2027 moon calendar to see every phase, and the daily moon phase pages for illumination on any date.