The Flower Moon in 2027: date, time and why it has that name
May's full Moon, the Flower Moon, is full on . The spring blossoms it is named for are open across much of the northern half of the world.
It is also a seasonal Blue Moon, the third of four full Moons in its season.
Next three
The next three Flower Moon dates
- 393,893 km
- 372,903 km
- 364,254 km
The Flower Moon is the first full Moon of May by UTC date. In a time zone far ahead of or behind UTC, the date you see for it can fall in the next or previous month.
The name
Why it is called the Flower Moon
Flower Moon is the plainest name on the almanac list. May is when blossoms open across the northern states, and the Moon of that month carries the season's name; no animal, crop or chore is attached to it.
Corn Planting Moon and Milk Moon are other names for May's full Moon, for the start of planting and for the milk of grazing animals. The Anglo-Saxon month list gives Thrimilce Moon, a name that reads as three milkings, and the modern revival list calls it the Bright Moon.
A calendar month can hold two full Moons, as May does in 2045. The Flower Moon is the first one; the second, at the end of the month, is a Blue Moon.
- Usually in
- May
- Next full
- Distance then
- 393,893 km
- Supermoon then
- No
- Next three
- May 20, 2027 · May 8, 2028 · May 27, 2029
In the sky
How the Flower Moon looks
The Flower Moon runs a low track. At 40 degrees north it rises south-east and peaks only about 32 degrees up, close to rooftops and treetops the whole way across, which keeps it amber longer than a winter Moon. The size change near the horizon is only apparent: the disc stays half a degree wide, and a pea at arm's length covers it at any height.
Evenings are mild and twilight is long, so the Flower Moon makes an easy walk: it comes up as the Sun goes down, and half an hour later the sunset glow has faded and the Moon has the sky.
May is autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, and the flowers belong to the other half of the world. The Moon is the same one, and it is a high one for southern observers: about 73 degrees up at 35 degrees south, nearly overhead on a long autumn night.
- Northern Hemisphere
- The Moon rises in the east near sunset
- Southern Hemisphere
- The same Moon, markings turned upside down
- Colour
- Gold near the horizon, white once it climbs
- Rises
- Around sunset
- Sets
- Around sunrise
Questions people ask
Quick answers
When is the next Flower Moon?
May 20, 2027 (UTC). The cards above show the next three, in your time zone.
Why is it called the Flower Moon?
Flower Moon is the plainest name on the almanac list. May is when blossoms open across the northern states, and the Moon of that month carries the season's name; no animal, crop or chore is attached to it.
Is the Flower Moon a supermoon?
Not the next one: the Moon is 393,893 km away, farther than 361,400 km. Some years it is.
Does the Flower Moon change colour?
The Moon only looks gold or orange when it is low and its light crosses a lot of air. Higher up it looks white.
Is this name the same everywhere?
No. These are the US almanac names. Other regions and traditions name the same full Moons differently, and the names are not one single tradition.