Moonrise, downstate New York, May 23, 2024
This month’s full moon, the “Flower” moon, occurs this Monday, May 12, 2025.
According to lore, May’s full moon is known as the “Flower Moon”, a time when flowering plants are in “full bloom“, beginning their pageantry for observers in the Northern hemisphere. We’ve written extensively about the lore of the moon’s names, a practice that honors native traditions or coincides with seasonal events. For example, next month’s full moon (June) will be the Strawberry Moon since the seasonal harvest of strawberries begins then.
Additional information about the lore of the moon and its names can be found here and here. It also should be noted that each full moon name is applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full moon.
There are certain times during the calendar year when the moon will be described as a “Supermoon“. A full “Supermoon” occurs when the full moon phase coincides with the moon’s perigee, the closest point in its orbit around the earth. Because it is slightly closer, it will appear slightly larger on the sky, hence the term “Supermoon“.
May’s full Flower moon on the meridian slightly after midnight, May 12. Scorpio, the scorpion, a prominent summer constellation, is due east along with the red supergiant star Antares, the heart of the scorpion, east and slightly south. Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, a prominent spring constellation, is west and north of Monday’s full Flower moon.
Coming soon to Astronomy For Change: “Married by Einstein“, currently in Substack, along with companion piece.
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A quick, interactive web-based version of Stellarium is available here Tonight's Sky. When you launch the application, it defaults to north-facing and your location (on mobile and desktop).
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