The Next Full Moon is the Flower, Corn, or Corn Planting Moon

The next full Moon will be on Friday afternoon, May 5, 2023, appearing opposite the Sun in Earth-based longitude at 1:34 PM EDT. This will be on Saturday morning from Myanmar Time eastward across the rest of Asia and Australia to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific. Those who can see the Moon at this time (e.g., from Africa, Asia, and Australia) likely will not notice the slight dimming of the Moon as it passes through the partial shadow of the Earth in a penumbral lunar eclipse. The Moon will appear full for 3 days around this time, from early Thursday morning through early Sunday morning.

The Maine Farmers' Almanac began publishing "Indian" names for full Moons in the 1930s and these names are now widely known and used. According to this almanac, as the full Moon in May the Algonquin tribes of what is now the north-eastern United States called this the Flower Moon for the flowers that are abundant this time of year. Other names include the Corn or Corn Planting Moon.

An old English name for this Moon is the Milk Moon. In 703 AD the English monk St. Bede the Venerable wrote that what we now call May was the "Three-Milkings Month," apparently because this was the month when cows could be milked three times a day.

A variety of sources list the full Moon in May as the Hare's Moon. Current western traditions see the patterns on the Moon as representing the "Man in the Moon." Many other cultures identify a hare or rabbit "in the Moon.” There are also sculptures, images, and tales about Moon gazing hares. The Chinese zodiac tends to associate the hare or rabbit with early March to early April. The English idiom "mad as a March hare" appears based on the antics of the European hare during its March breeding season. Some scholars identify the hare as sacred to the West Germanic spring goddess Ēostre, a name tied to our word for Easter and the Anglo-Saxon name for April, and this connection may be the origin of the Easter Bunny. These associations suggest to me that the Hare's Moon should be in spring but not necessarily in May, so I'm still looking into this. I'll let you know next year if I find out more about the origin of the Hare's Moon.

This full Moon corresponds with Vesak, also known as Buddha Purnima (as well as other more regional names). Vesak is a Buddhist holiday that commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha. The actual date of Vesak varies depending upon the lunar calendar in use in the particular country or region, but for most areas it falls on or near the day of this full Moon. See https://www.un.org/en/observances/vesak-day for more information.

In many traditional lunar and lunisolar calendars the full Moons fall in the middle of the lunar months. This full Moon is in the middle of the third month of the Chinese calendar and Iyar in the Hebrew calendar. In the Islamic calendar the months start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon shortly after the new Moon, with this full Moon near the middle of Shawwāl.

As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full Moon. Enjoy the flowers of spring!

As for other celestial events between now and the full Moon after next (with specific times and angles based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC):

As spring continues, the daily periods of sunlight continue to lengthen. On Friday, May 5, 2023 (the day of the full Moon), morning twilight will begin at 5:01 AM EDT, sunrise will be at 6:06 AM, solar noon will be at 1:05 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 67.4 degrees, sunset will be at 8:04 PM, and evening twilight will end at 9:09 PM. By Saturday, June 3 (the day of the full Moon after next), morning twilight will begin at 4:33 AM, sunrise will be at 5:44 AM, solar noon will be at 1:06 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 73.5 degrees, sunset will be at 8:29 PM, and evening twilight will end at 9:40 PM.

On the evening of Friday, May 5, 2023 (the night of the full Moon), as evening twilight ends (at 9:09 PM EDT), the rising full Moon will be 7 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. Two of the five visible planets will be in the sky, bright Venus (as the evening star) at 26 degrees above the western horizon and Mars at 45 degrees above the western horizon near the bright star Pollux. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the lion, at 61 degrees above the south-southwestern horizon. Although we see Regulus as a single star, it is actually four stars (two pairs of stars orbiting each other). Regulus is about 79 light years from us.

As this lunar cycle progresses, bright Venus, Mars, and the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening (as the Earth moves around the Sun), with Venus and Mars shifting more slowly. The light of the full Moon will make it unlikely to see meteors from the only major meteor shower this lunar cycle (peaking on the morning of May 6). The bright star Pollux will pass its closest to Mars on May 8 and its closest to Venus on May 29. Mars will pass in front of the Beehive Cluster on June 2. The waxing Moon will appear to form a rough line with Venus, Pollux, Mars, and Regulus on May 22; pass near Venus and Pollux on May 23; Mars on May 24; Regulus on May 26; and Spica on May 30 and 31.

By the evening of Saturday, June 3, 2023 (the night of the full Moon after next), as evening twilight ends (at 9:40 PM EDT), the rising full Moon will be 10 degrees above the southeastern horizon near the bright star Antares. Two of the five visible planets will be in the sky, bright Venus (as the evening star) at 22 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon and Mars at 28 degrees above the western horizon. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes the herdsman or plowman, at 76 degrees above the southeastern horizon. Arcturus is the 4th brightest star in our night sky and is 36.7 light years from us. While it has about the same mass as our Sun, it is about 2.6 billion years older and has used up its core hydrogen, becoming a red giant 25 times the size and 170 times the brightness of our Sun.

On the morning of Friday, May 5, 2023 (the day of the full Moon), as morning twilight begins (at 5:01 AM EDT), the setting full Moon will be 9 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. The only planet visible will be Saturn at 18 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon, although the planet Jupiter may be visible rising in the glow of dawn after morning twilight begins. The bright star Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the lyre, will appear almost directly overhead at 88.5 degrees above the western horizon. Vega is the 5th brightest star in our night sky, about 25 light-years from Earth, has twice the mass of our Sun, and shines 40 times brighter than our Sun.

As this lunar cycle progresses, the waning Moon will appear near the bright star Antares on May 7, Saturn on May 13, and Jupiter on May 17, which also will be the first morning that Jupiter will be above the east-northeastern horizon as morning twilight begins. On May 18, after morning twilight begins, the thin waning Moon will rise near the planet Mercury, although they will be difficult to see in the glow of dawn, even with binoculars or a telescope.

By the morning of Saturday, June 3, 2023 (the morning before the full Moon after next), as morning twilight begins (at 4:33 AM EDT), the setting full Moon will be 4 degrees above the southwestern horizon, with the bright star Antares 9 degrees to the left. Two of the visible planets will be in the sky, bright Jupiter at 8 degrees above the eastern horizon and Saturn at 30 degrees above the southeastern horizon. The planet Mercury may be visible rising in the glow of dawn after morning twilight begins. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Deneb at 81 degrees above the northeastern horizon. Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus the swan and is one of the three bright stars of the "Summer Triangle" (along with Vega and Altair). Deneb is about 20 times more massive than our Sun but has used up its hydrogen, becoming a blue-white supergiant about 200 times the diameter of the Sun. If Deneb were where our Sun is, it would extend to about the orbit of the Earth. Deneb is about 2,600 light years from us and is the 19th brightest star in our night sky.

Here for your reference is a day-by-day listing of celestial events between now and the full Moon after next. The times and angles are based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, so some of these details may differ for your location (I use parentheses to indicate specific times that might be different for you).

On Thursday afternoon, April 27, 2023, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 5:20 PM EDT.

Friday morning, April 28, 2023, at 2:44 AM EDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.

Early on Saturday morning, April 29, 2023, before the Moon sets on the west-northwestern horizon (at 3:31 AM EDT), the bright star Regulus will appear less than 8 degrees to the left of the Moon.

By Saturday evening, April 29, 2023, as evening twilight ends (at 9:02 PM EDT), the Moon will have shifted such that the bright star Regulus will appear 5 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. The pair will appear to separate, with Regulus setting first on the west-northwestern horizon early Sunday morning (at 3:27 AM).

Monday, May 1, 2023, will be May Day. We currently divide the year into four seasons based upon the solstices and equinoxes, with summer starting with the solstice in June. This approximates summer as the quarter of the year with the warmest temperatures. Pre-Christian Celtic and Gaelic traditions in the British Isles celebrated the "quarter days" or "cross-quarter days" halfway between the solstices and equinoxes, dividing the seasons on these days. Using this older definition, summer started on May Day, also know as Beltane, making summer the quarter of the year with the longest daily periods of daylight. Some of our May Day traditions trace back to earlier celebrations of the start of summer under this old calendar.

Monday morning, May 1, 2023, will be the first morning that the planet Jupiter will be above the east-northeastern horizon 30 minutes before sunrise, an approximation of when it might start being visible in the glow of dawn.

On Monday afternoon, May 1, 2023, the planet Mercury will be passing between the Earth and the Sun as seen from the Earth, called inferior conjunction. Mercury will be shifting from the evening sky to the morning sky and will begin emerging from the glow of dawn on the east-northeastern horizon about 10 days later.

Tuesday evening, May 2, 2023, will be when the bright planet Venus will appear at its highest above the west-northwestern horizon as evening twilight ends, nearly 27 degrees. Because the angle of the line between the Sun and Venus and the line of the horizon changes with the seasons, when Venus appears highest above the horizon as evening twilight ends is not when Venus and the Sun appear farthest apart as seen from the Earth, which will occur on June 4.

Wednesday night into Thursday morning, May 3 to 4, 2023, the bright star Spica will appear less than 3 degrees to the lower right of the waxing gibbous Moon. The Moon will be 30 degrees above the southeastern horizon as evening twilight ends (at 9:07 PM EDT). The Moon will reach its highest in the sky less than 3 hours later (at 11:52 PM). By the time morning twilight begins (at 5:03 AM) Spica and the Moon will be low on the west-southwestern horizon

As mentioned above, the next full Moon will be Friday afternoon, May 5, 2023, at 1:34 PM EDT. Observers in Africa, Asia, and Australia will likely not notice the slight dimming of the Moon as it passes through the partial shadow of the Earth in a penumbral lunar eclipse. The Moon will appear full for 3 days around this time, from early Thursday morning through early Sunday morning.

Saturday night into Sunday morning, May 6 to 7, 2023, the bright star Antares will appear near the full Moon. As Antares rises on the southeastern horizon (at 10:11 PM EDT) it will be 6 degrees below the Moon. The Moon will reach its highest in the sky for the night about 4 hours later (at 2:23 AM) with Antares 4 degrees to the lower left. By the time morning twilight begins (at 4:59 AM) Antares will be 3 degrees to the left of the Moon.

Monday evening, May 8, 2023, will be when the planet Mars and the bright star Pollux will appear nearest each other, 5 degrees apart. Mars will be to the lower left of Pollux in the western sky as evening twilight ends (at 9:13 PM EDT) and Mars will set first on the west-northwestern horizon about 4 hours later (at 1:08 AM).

Early Thursday morning, May 11, 2023, at 1:06 AM EDT, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit.

Thursday morning, May 11, 2023, will be the first morning that the planet Mercury will be above the east-northeastern horizon 30 minutes before sunrise, a very rough approximation of the earliest it might start being visible in the glow of dawn.

Friday morning, May 12, 2023, the waning Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 10:28 AM EDT.

Saturday morning, May 13, 2023, the planet Saturn will appear to the left of the waning crescent Moon. The Moon will rise last above the east-southeastern horizon (at 2:57 AM EDT) with Saturn 6 degrees to the left. Morning twilight will begin about 2 hours later (at 4:51 AM).

Wednesday morning, May 17, 2023, low on the east-northeastern horizon, you may be able to see the bright planet Jupiter less than 2 degrees to the lower left of the thin, waning crescent Moon, with the planet Mercury farther to the lower left. This will be the first morning that Jupiter will be above the horizon before morning twilight begins. The Moon will rise first (at 4:41 AM EDT), Jupiter will rise 4 minutes later (at 4:45 AM) just 2 minutes before morning twilight begins (at 4:47 AM). Mercury will be the hardest to see, as it will rise 23 minutes later (at 5:10 AM) just 44 minutes before sunrise.

By Thursday morning, May 18, 2023, the thin, waning crescent Moon will have shifted to appear 6.5 degrees to the left of Mercury, rising (at 5:08 AM EDT) 45 minutes before sunrise. They may be difficult to see in the glow of dawn, even with binoculars.

Midday on Friday, May 19, 2023, at 11:53 AM EDT, will be the new Moon, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from the Earth.

The day of or the day after the new Moon marks the start of the new month for many lunisolar calendars. The fourth month of the Chinese year of the Rabbit starts on Friday, May 19, 2023. Sundown on Saturday, May 20, 2023, marks the start of Sivan in the Hebrew calendar.

In the Islamic calendar the months traditionally start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon. Many Muslim communities now follow the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which uses astronomical calculations to start months in a more predictable way. Using this calendar, sundown on Saturday evening, May 20, 2023, will probably mark the beginning of Dhu al-Qadah, one of the four sacred months during which warfare is prohibited.

Monday evening, May 22, 2023, the bright planet Venus will appear 6 degrees to the upper left of the thin, waxing crescent Moon, with the bright star Pollux above Venus, the planet Mars farther to the upper left, and the bright star Regulus well beyond Mars. The Moon will be 21 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon as evening twilight ends (at 9:28 PM EDT) and will set first about 2 hours later (at 11:42 PM).

Tuesday evening, May 23, 2023, the bright planet Venus will appear 6 degrees to the lower right of the waxing crescent Moon with the bright star Pollux 2 degrees to the upper right of the Moon. The planet Mars will appear farther to the upper left. Venus will be 25 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon as evening twilight ends (at 9:30 PM EDT) and will set first about 2.5 hours later (at 11:52 PM).

Wednesday evening, May 24, 2023, the planet Mars will appear 4 degrees below the waxing crescent Moon. Pollux and Venus will appear farther to the lower right. Mars will be 34 degrees above the western horizon as evening twilight ends (at 9:31 PM EDT) and will set first about 3 hours later (Thursday morning at 12:35 AM).

Thursday night, May 25, 2023, at 9:40 PM EDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.

Friday night into early Saturday morning, May 26 to 27, 2023, the bright star Regulus will appear near the waxing Moon. Regulus will appear 4 degrees to the lower left of the Moon as evening twilight ends (at 9:33 PM EDT) and Regulus will set first about 4 hours later (at 1:41 AM).

On Saturday midday, May 27, 2023, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 11:22 AM EDT.

Monday morning, May 29, 2023, will be when the planet Mercury will appear farthest from the Sun as seen from the Earth for this apparition (called greatest elongation). Because the angle between the line from Mercury to the Sun and the line of the horizon changes with the seasons, when Mercury and the Sun appear farthest apart will not be when Mercury will rise on the east-northeastern horizon nearest the start of morning twilight, which will occur in early June.

Monday evening, May 29, 2023, will be when the bright planet Venus and the bright star Pollux will pass nearest each other, 4 degrees apart. As evening twilight ends (at 9:35 PM EDT) Pollux will be to the upper right of Venus in the west-northwestern sky, with the planet Mars farther to the upper left. Venus will set first about 2 hours later (at 11:51 PM).

Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, May 30 to 31, 2023, the bright star Spica will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. Spica will be 6.5 degrees to the lower left of the Moon as evening twilight ends (9:36 PM EDT) just 8 minutes before the Moon will reach its highest in the sky for the night. They will shift slightly closer to each other as the night progresses, with Spica setting first about 6 hours later (at 3:26 AM).

By Wednesday evening, May 31, 2023, the Moon will have shifted to appear 7.4 degrees to the other side of Spica, and the pair will separate as the night progresses.

On the evenings of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, June 1 through 3, 2023, with a telescope or binoculars, look for the planet Mars as it passes in front of the Beehive Cluster. They will appear at their closest on June 2.

The full Moon after next will be just before midnight on Saturday night, June 3, 2023, at 11:42 PM EDT, with the bright star Antares a few degrees to the right. The Moon will appear full for 3 days around this time, from Friday evening through Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend.