What is the Flower moon? Here's when, how to see May's full moon, a micromoon, rise in the US
May's full moon, more commonly known as the flower moon, will rise for the next two nights.
Named for the many blossoms of spring, the flower moon should delight stargazers eager for a celestial sight to see now that winter is behind us and summer is around the corner.
Here's everything to know about the full moon, including when to see it and how it got its nickname.
A full moon occurs when Earth's celestial neighbor appears as a complete circle in the sky. From Earth, our natural satellite appears to be fully round because the whole side of the moon facing our planet is lit up by the sun's rays, according to Royal Museums Greenwich in east London.
A full moon occurs nearly every 30 days as it completes one lunar phase cycle.
Full moon names were an integral ancient method to track the changing months and seasons, and many that are still used today came from Colonial Americans adopting Native American names into their calendars.
The Algonquin tribes of what is now the north-eastern United States called May's full moon "the flower moon due to the abundant flowers that bloom this time of year," according to the Almanac.
Other nicknames for the full moon include the "corn moon" or "corn planting moon."
The moon has also been referred to as the "milk moon." The moniker derives from the English and was apparently coined by a monk who claimed May is a month when cows could be milked three times a day, according to NASA.
The full flower moon technically reaches its peak illumination in the middle of the day, at 12:55 p.m. ET Monday.
But it will appear bright and full for two consecutive nights, including Tuesday, May 13, according to the website TimeAndDate.
The celestial wonder should be visible from across the US, provided clouds don't obscure the view. Spectators are advised to find a spot with unobstructed views of the horizon.
Look for the moon rising low in the southeast after sunset May 12 as it ascends to its highest point in the sky after midnight, according to EarthSky.
The full moon is also a micromoon, meaning it will look a bit smaller and dimmer than usual. Micromoons occur when a full moon coincides with the point in its orbit when it's farthest from Earth, known as apogee.
After the flower moon sets, the next full moon will be the strawberry moon, which appears on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: May 2025 full moon: What time does Flower moon, a micromoon, rise?
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