Flower Moon 2026: What is May's full Moon and when can you see it?

Stargazers, get ready! You're in for a real treat this month, as May's full Moon, the Flower moon, will be visible in the night sky later this week.

It is expected to peak across the UK on Friday evening.

But don't worry if you miss the opportunity to spot it, there will be a rare second full Moon - also known as a blue moon - happening at the end of the month!

But why is May's called the Flower Moon, and when exactly can you see it?

Keep reading to find out..

May's full Moon is often known as the Flower Moon in the Northern Hemisphere because it marks the time of year when the blooming of lots of flowers takes place during springtime.

However, it is also sometimes referred to as the Hare Moon, the Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.

It will reach its peak at 6.23pm on Friday 1 May, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, although these timings can slightly change depending on where in the UK you are.

It will also look full in the days before and after the peak, so you might have an extra chance to spot it.

This year's Flower Moon will also be a "micromoon" - meaning it will appear slightly smaller than usual because it is at the farthest point from Earth in its orbit.

You may have heard of the phrase "Once in a Blue Moon" before.

People use this phrase when they are talking about something rare, that doesn't happen very often.

But did you know it has a link to astronomy?

There are actually two definitions of a Blue Moon.

The first one describes the third full moon in a season which has four full moons in total.

However, the term is also used to describe a phenomenon that happens every two to three years.

It takes a year for the Earth to orbit the Sun once and the Moon takes 29.5 days to complete one cycle around the Earth.

This means that 12 full cycles of the Moon around the Earth takes 354 days. That's less than the 365 days (or 366 days during a leap year) in our calendar year.

As the time frames don't quite match up, every two to three years we end up getting a 13th full moon, with two full months seen in a single month.

A Blue Moon is the rarer second full Moon in a month - and it will peak on the morning of Sunday 31 May.

Throughout history, people have used the Moon and the light it reflects for different tasks such as hunting, planting and harvesting.

Cultures across the world give these full moons different names to describe what was happening in the month.

The modern calendar no longer follows the Moon's phases exactly, so sometimes there's more than one full Moon a month, which is known as a Blue Moon.

Why not use our calendar below to find the name for your birth month's full Moon?

January: Wolf Moon

Native Americans and medieval Europeans called January's full Moon a Wolf Moon. It's thought to be because wolves howled more at this time of year, as there was less food.

February: Snow Moon

The snowy weather of February in North America led to the name Snow Moon. Other common names include Storm Moon and Hunger Moon.

March: Worm Moon

The Worm Moon appears in March at the end of winter when little creatures like worms begin squirming out of the ground. It's also called Milk Moon.

April: Pink Moon

Disappointingly, the Pink Moon isn't actually pink. It's named by Native Americans after pink flowers called wild ground phlox that bloom in early spring and appear throughout the United States and Canada.

It is also called Egg Moon and Fish Moon in other cultures.

May: Flower Moon

May's flowers are the reason for this month's name.

Other names include Hare Moon, Corn Planting Moon, and Milk Moon.

June: Strawberry Moon

Native American Algonquin tribes named this the Strawberry Moon. This is because they would harvest strawberries at this time.

It's also called the Honey Moon, Rose Moon and Mead Moon.

July: Buck Moon

This is the time when a buck, a male deer, grows its full antlers. This Moon is also called Thunder Moon after the summer thunderstorms.

August: Sturgeon Moon

People in North America caught sturgeons, a type of fish, around this time.

It is sometimes known as a Grain Moon, or Green Corn Moon or Black Cherries Moon in some cultures.

September: Corn Moon

If it is the nearest full Moon to the autumnal equinox, it is called the Harvest Moon instead.

September's full Moon is thought to be called Corn Moon because that's when crops are gathered at the end of the summer season.

At this time, the Moon appears particularly bright, allowing farmers to continue harvesting into the night.

October: Hunter's Moon

This is the time when people would plan for the winter months and hunt animals for food.

Like September's full Moon, it is sometimes called the Harvest Moon.

November: Beaver Moon

Beavers often start building their dams about this time, which is where it got its name.

It is also sometimes called Frost Moon.

December: Cold Moon

The winter chill gave December's full Moon the name Cold Moon.

Other names include the Long Night Moon and the Oak Moon.