Traditionally, the May full moon is called the Flower Full Moon. This year it falls on the 12th of May. The Moon will be in the constellation Libra. Interestingly, a micromoon will be observed during this event.
Flower Full Moon
On May 12, there will be another full moon. In recent years, this phenomenon, if it occurs in the last month of spring, has been called the Flower Full Moon. This name was first used in the Old Farmer’s Almanac in the 1930s and has since gradually spread around the world.
The name “Flower Full Moon” does sound logical for May, the period of nature’s blooming. However, it is worth knowing that there is no historical evidence that this name was used before it was published in the Old Farmer’s Almanac more than 90 years ago. Flowers do not begin to bloom en masse on the night of the full Moon, so no culture could have observed such a pattern in nature.
Interestingly, different people had different names for this full moon: in Chinese tradition, it was known as the Dragon Full Moon, the Celts called it the Bright Full Moon, and for the Cherokee people, it was the Agricultural Full Moon, emphasizing the connection with the agricultural cycle. Instead, in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter begins in May, the full moon might be called Frosty Full Moon, as in Patagonia.
Micromoon
On May 12 this year, there will be a micromoon. The Moon will appear 5% smaller than average. This phenomenon is because our satellite’s orbit is elliptical. That is, there is its closest point to us (perigee) and its most distant point (apogee).
When a full moon occurs near its perigee, our satellite looks large, and we call this phenomenon a supermoon; when it is near its apogee, it looks small. This is a micromoon, similar to the one that awaits us on May 12.
Because the periods of lunar phase change and the Moon’s rotation around the Earth differ by several days, the moment of the full moon’s onset is shifted from the apogee and perigee by several days. Therefore, the phenomenon of micromoons usually occurs in series, three or four times in a row. In 2025, the Flower Full Moon will be the last in this series.
Moon in Libra
Usually, during the Flower Full Moon, the Moon can be in the constellations Libra or Scorpio, depending on the date of the event. This year, Libra is the lucky one, although our satellite will be located right next to the border of the constellations. So both Antares (α Scorpii) and Zuben Elgenubi (α Librae) will be close by.
The exact time of the maximum phase is 4:56 p.m. GMT (11:56 a.m. EST). In Europe, and Kyiv in particular, it will still be clear at this time, and the Moon will be below the horizon. Therefore, it is necessary to wait a couple of hours until the Sun sets and the Moon appears above the horizon.
Conditions will be even worse in North America. On the East Coast of the United States, it will still be late morning when the maximum phase occurs. Therefore, it is generally better to observe the Moon there on the night of the 11th to the 12th.
