Flower Moon 2025: How and when to see May's full moon
It's selenophile day. May's full moon, also commonly referred to as Flower Moon, will be seen in the sky on Sunday and Monday nights.The Flower Moon this year will be at the farthest point from Earth. Therefore, it will look approximately 14 per cent smaller and 30 per cent fainter compared to an average full moon.As per NASA, the moon will be approximately 4 lakh km away from Earth as opposed to its average distance of about 2.4 lakh km.April showers bring May Flower(Moon)s!The next full moon occurs Mon. May 12 at 12:56 p.m. EST, but it will look full the night before and after.For more May skywatching: https://t.co/VI8xxevpk5 pic.twitter.com/K3wBHmIl7l— NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) May 9, 2025advertisement
WHEN WILL FLOWER MOON HAPPEN?The Flower Moon will be visible at its fullest on May 12 at 12:56 pm ET. IST says it will be at its maximum at 10:26 pm, says Earthsky. If the peak time passes you by, you can still view the full moon from Sunday night to Tuesday morning.On Monday, the moon will appear low in the southeast at sunset and at its zenith in the sky after midnight. When the Moon crosses above the horizon, it will also seem a bit orange or golden because of the atmospheric scattering.HOW TO WATCH FLOWER MOON?To observe the Full Moon, gaze towards the east. Binoculars or a telescope are not needed; the Flower Moon will be clearly visible with the naked eye.WHAT ELSE CAN YOU OBSERVE DURING THE FLOWER MOON?advertisementMars and Jupiter, besides the Flower Moon, are visible soon after sunset in the west. The two stars, Arcturus and Spica, will also appear brighter in the vicinity of the moon.On May 13, also rising early will be able to witness the moon setting close to the southern horizon while the planetary trio of Saturn, Venus, and Neptune rise on the eastern horizon.FLOWER MOON TRADITIONThe full moon is derived from Native American cultures, which are named after flowers that bloom during May. This represents the coming of spring.Must Watch
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India.com
3 hours ago
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Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla stands on the cusp of history as he prepares to set off on a space odyssey, marking India's return to space flight 41 years after his idol Rakesh Sharma orbited the Earth for eight days as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos programme. Lucknow-born Shukla, who goes by the call sign 'Shuks', is part of an ISRO-NASA-supported commercial spaceflight by Axiom Space which is expected to lift off for a 14-day sojourn to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday evening. However, the highly anticipated Axion 04 mission, which was set to launch on Wednesday after a series of earlier delays, was postponed once again due to a leak detected in the propulsion bay during a pre-launch test. Born on October 10, 1985, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Shukla possesses fluency in both English and his native Hindi. His journey began when he was commissioned into the IAF fighter wing in June 2006. As a combat leader and seasoned test pilot, he boasts an impressive 2,000 hours of flight experience across various aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32. His ascent to the rank of group captain in March 2024 reflects his exceptional contributions. In a conversation with The Times of India(TOI) just days before the scheduled launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Kamna offered a heartfelt perspective on the journey. According to the TOI report, his wife Kamna, shared that Shubhanshu's dream of going to space began in 2020. She remembered that it was early in 2020 when the possibility of Shukla going to space began to feel real. At the time, one of the key requirements for the Gaganyaan mission was being a test pilot—something that applied to a very small, close-knit group. 'One of the criteria for Gaganyaan aspirants was that they had to be test pilots. It's such a small community that we were elated, because whoever it may be, he would be known to us. That small idea has become an incredible reality now,' Kamna was quoted as saying by TOI. At home, Shux is known for his disciplined lifestyle and calm determination. He enjoys staying fit, reading non-fiction, and spending playful moments with his six-year-old son. Yet behind this steady routine lies a bold spirit—one that made the remarkable leap from the secure life of a fighter pilot to the uncertain and demanding realm of space exploration. While speaking to the Times of India, Kamna stated, 'He loves his workouts, non-fiction books, to goof around with his six-year-old son. But when you talk about his fearlessness, he's taken immense risks. He left his life as a fighter pilot and stepped into the uncharted world of spaceflight. From making decisions in microseconds to doing delicate experiments in micrograms—it's a complete shift.' What she finds most remarkable about him isn't his trip to space, but rather his inner quiet strength. It's his extreme conviction – a way of thinking that does not allow him to quit. He goes back to simple wisdom, like Dory in Finding Nemo: 'Just keep swimming.' He retains a sharp focus on how to go forward, no matter how bad, he is very adept at problem solving in even the direst situation – thats where his brilliant mind shines. Regarding the rest of the Ax-4 crew, Kamna noted that their relationship has developed way beyond that of colleagues. She believes they are now bound as lifelong friends, sharing the unique experience of living and working together in microgravity. 'They call themselves friends for life. Their experience in microgravity will bind them forever. I'm so glad Shux found these friends—and all of them adore our son Sid,' she stated. Kamna and Shukla's tale goes back to their early school days; they have known each other since primary class, and they shared classrooms from Class 3 onwards. With the years they had in common, they gradually morphed into close friends. She recalls him as the quiet, shy student who faded into the backdrop. It's that same soft-spoken boy whom many now articulate as Shubhanshu, 'who's now inspiring so many people.' Being married to someone pursuing such an extraordinary mission inevitably involves long separations and moments lost to time. The emotional weight of missed milestones—particularly not being there for their son Sid's early years—has not been easy. It's something that has quietly left its mark, especially on Shubhanshu, for whom those absences are deeply felt. The journey, while inspiring, has demanded personal sacrifices that linger beneath the surface, shaping their shared experience with both pride and quiet ache.
