"This will be the farthest, smallest, and dimmest full moon of 2026."
A Lunar Double Feature: Flower Moon & Blue Micromoon of May 2026
The month of May 2026 will contain two full moons: the Flower Moon on May 1 and a Blue Moon on May 31. The Blue Moon will also be a micromoon, making it the smallest full moon of the year.
🌸 Flower Moon (May 1)
Timing and Visibility
The Flower Moon will reach full illumination at 1:24 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 1, 2026. The moon will appear full on the nights of April 30 and May 1. Optimal viewing is at moonrise during dusk on May 1, when it rises on the eastern horizon shortly after sunset.
Moonrise times at sample locations on May 1:
- New York: 8:17 p.m. EDT (sunset at 7:51 p.m. EDT)
- Los Angeles: 8:04 p.m. PDT (sunset at 7:36 p.m. PDT)
- London: 8:46 p.m. BST (sunset at 8:22 p.m. BST)
Characteristics
The Flower Moon will be a micromoon, occurring near apogee—the farthest point in the moon's elliptical orbit from Earth. At this point, the moon will be approximately 250,000 miles (402,000 km) from Earth, roughly 5% farther than its average distance. As a result, the moon will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than a typical full moon.
The "moon illusion" will cause the moon to appear larger when near the horizon due to comparison with foreground objects. According to NASA, there is no universally accepted scientific explanation for this illusion. The moon may also appear orange at moonrise due to Rayleigh scattering, a process in which Earth's atmosphere scatters shorter blue wavelengths of light while allowing redder tones to pass through.
Naming
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the name "Flower Moon" originates from flowers blooming in May in the Northern Hemisphere. Other names include:
- Budding Moon
- Leaf Budding Moon
- Planting Moon
- Egg Laying Moon
- Frog Moon
- Mothers' Moon
- Bright Moon
- Hare Moon
- Grass Moon
- Nimebine Giizis (Sucker Moon) in Anishinaabe
🌕 Blue Moon (May 31) and Micromoon
Timing and Visibility
The blue moon, defined as the second full moon in a calendar month, will occur on Sunday, May 31, 2026. The moon will be officially full at 4:45 a.m. EDT on May 31.
Optimal viewing for North America, Africa, and Europe is at moonrise on Saturday, May 30, when the moon rises in the east during dusk. The moon will be 98% lit at sunset that evening, appearing full to the naked eye. For Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, the brightest full moon occurs on the night of May 31.
Observers should look east shortly after sunset. The star Antares may be visible below the moon.
Micromoon Characteristics
The Blue Moon will also be a micromoon, with the moon at apogee approximately 252,334 miles (406,093 km) from Earth. According to NASA, this will be the farthest, smallest, and dimmest full moon of 2026. The moon will appear about 6% smaller and 10% dimmer than an average full moon, with an angular diameter of approximately 29.72 arcminutes—below the average of 31 arcminutes.
The difference in apparent size between a micromoon and a supermoon is subtle to the naked eye but noticeable in comparison images. According to Dr. Pamela Gay of the Planetary Science Institute, the apparent size difference of about 10% is not noticeable to the unaided eye.
Terminology
The term "blue moon" refers solely to the occurrence of two full moons in a single calendar month, not to a change in the moon's color. The moon will appear in its typical silvery white or golden hue. The term originated from an error in Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946.
In rare cases, atmospheric particles such as smoke or volcanic ash can cause the moon to appear bluish. Historically, blue-colored moons have been observed after volcanic eruptions, such as the 1883 Krakatoa eruption.
Frequency
This phenomenon occurs approximately once every 2.5 years. According to NASA, only 6% of full moons are blue moons, which can occur only in the last two or three days of a month. The lunar cycle lasts 29.5 days, which can result in two full moons in a single calendar month when the first occurs near the beginning of the month.
🔠Related Astronomical Events in May 2026
April 27-28: The nearly full moon will appear close to Spica, a binary star system 250 light-years away in the constellation Virgo.
May 1: Full Flower Moon becomes official at 12:23 p.m. EDT (alternate source reports 1:24 p.m. EDT). Best viewed at moonrise, shortly after sunset.
May 2-3: The waning gibbous moon will rise near Antares, a red supergiant star in the constellation Scorpius.
Late May: Venus-Jupiter Conjunction — Venus and Jupiter will appear in the western sky after sunset, drawing closer each evening. The gap between the two planets will decrease until June 9, when they will appear very close together (conjunction).
Constellation Visibility: The Big Dipper will be high overhead in April evenings. The pointer stars Dubhe and Merak point to Polaris. The handle's curve arcs to Arcturus. The Great Spring Triangle, formed by Arcturus (Boötes), Spica (Virgo), and Denebola (Leo), will be visible.
📷 Global Photography
Photographers worldwide captured images of the May 2026 Blue Moon. Notable photographs include the moon:
- Near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (photographer: Gary Hershorn)
- Near the Statue of Liberty in New York, USA (photographer: Lokman Vural)
- Behind an American flag on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, USA (photographer: Juliane Sonntag)
- Rising over the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, Greece (photographer: Costas Baltas)
- Over the San Francisco Bay and near Alcatraz Island, USA (photographer: Tayfun Coskun)
- Above the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia (photographer: Steve Christo-Corbis)
- In cloudy skies over Chiang Mai, Thailand (photographer: Pongmanat Tasiri)
- Behind a communication tower in Kechnec, Slovakia (photographer: Robert Nemeti)
📅 Future Occurrences
- The next monthly Blue Moon is expected on December 31, 2028.
- A seasonal Blue Moon (the third full moon in an astronomical season containing four full moons) will occur on May 20, 2027.
- The next full moon after May 31, 2026, will be the Strawberry Moon on June 29, 2026.