See the Super Flower Moon and a "Blood Moon" Eclipse!
May’s full Moon reaches its peak on May 15-16, 2022! Plus, this full Moon will be a supermoon and coincide with a total lunar eclipse for most of North America. Here’s everything you should know about this month’s full Moon, including how it came to be called the “Flower Moon.”
When to See the Full Moon in May 2022
May’s full Flower Moon reaches peak illumination at 12:15 A.M. (EDT) on Monday, May 16. This means that it will reach its peak on the night of Sunday, May 15, in more western time zones.
Venture outdoors on the night of the 15th to get the best view of the bright full Flower Moon! Find a location with unobstructed views of the horizon, if possible. See what time the Moon will be visible in your area with our Moonrise and Moonset Calculator.Â
Spot the Full Flower Supermoon
May’s full Moon is the first supermoon of the year! A supermoon is most commonly defined as any full Moon that occurs when the Moon is at at least 90% of perigee (the point in the Moon’s orbit where it is closest to Earth). In 2022, there will be four supermoons. Read more about supermoons here!
A “Blood Moon” Total Lunar Eclipse
This month’s full Moon coincides with a total lunar eclipse! A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth stands directly between the Moon and the Sun, which results in Earth casting its shadow on the Moon. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon is fully obscured by Earth’s shadow, giving the Moon a reddish hue. This phenomenon is where the term “blood moon” comes from.Â
This total lunar eclipse occurs in the late night hours of May 15 into May 16 and will be visible for stargazers in most of North America, all of South America, Western Africa, and parts of Western Europe. From the Pacific Northwest into British Columbia, as well as in southern Alaska, a partial lunar eclipse will be be visible.
When Is the Eclipse?
This eclipse begins on the night of Sunday, May 15, and ends on Monday, May 16. Times are given below for Eastern and Pacific time zones; use these to calculate the timing of the eclipse in your own time zone!
- Penumbral Eclipse Begins: The Moon enters the outer edge of Earth’s shadow (called the “penumbra”) at 9:31 P.M. EDT on May 15 (6:31 P.M. PDT).
- Partial Eclipse Begins: The Moon enters the darkest part of Earth’s shadow (the ”umbra”) at 10:27 P.M. EDT (7:27 P.M. PDT).
- Total Eclipse Begins: Totality begins at 11:28 P.M. EDT (8:28 P.M PDT).
- MAXIMUM ECLIPSE: The eclipse reaches its peak (called the “maximum”) at 12:11 A.M. EDT on May 16 (9:11 P.M. PDT on May 15). This is the best time to view the total lunar eclipse!
- Total Eclipse Ends: Totality ends at 12:53 A.M. EDT on May 16 (9:53 P.M. PDT on May 15).
- Partial Eclipse Ends: The Moon leaves the umbra at 1:54 A.M. EDT on May 16 (10:54 P.M. PDT on May 15).
- Penumbral Eclipse Ends: The Moon leaves the penumbra at 2:52 A.M. EDT on May 16 (11:52 P.M. PDT on May 15).
Why Is It Called the Flower Moon?
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full Moon.
The Flower Moon
May’s Flower Moon name should be no surprise; flowers spring forth across North America in abundance this month!
- “Flower Moon” has been attributed to Algonquin peoples, as confirmed by Christina Ruddy of The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre in Pikwakanagan, Ontario.
- May’s Moon was also referred to as the “Month of Flowers” by Jonathan Carver in his 1798 publication, Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America: 1766, 1767, 1768 (pp. 250-252), as a likely Dakota name. Carver stayed with the Naudowessie (Dakota) over a period of time; his expedition covered the Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin and Minnesota areas.
- Henry David Thoreau sparked to Native American Moon names as well, referencing the Flower Moon and Carver when he wrote about Native Americans.
Alternative May Moon Names
May’s Moon names tend to speak to the arrival of spring and all that it entails!Â
The Cree names Budding Moon and Leaf Budding Moon celebrate the awakening of local flora, which really begin to leaf out now in many areas. Similarly, Planting Moon (Dakota, Lakota) marks the time when seeds should be started for the farming season ahead.Â
The activities of animals marked spring’s arrival, too, which is highlighted by the Cree names Egg Laying Moon and Frog Moon, as well as the Oglala term Moon of the Shedding Ponies. All three names indicate that warmer weather is on the way!
→ See all 12 months of full Moon names and meanings.
Moon Phases for May 2022
All dates and times are EDT. See our Moon Phase Calendar for times in your location.
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First Quarter: May 8, 8:22 P.M. EDT |
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Full Moon: May 16, 12:15 A.M. EDT |
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Last Quarter: May 22, 2:44 P.M. EDT |
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New Moon: May 30, 7:32 A.M. EDT |
→ When is the next full Moon? Find out in our Full Moon Dates chart.
Full Flower Moon Video
Each month, we will explain the traditional names of the full Moon along with some Moon facts. Click below to watch the video and learn about May’s Full Flower Moon.
Best Days in May 2022
Below are the best days for activities, based on the Moon’s sign and phase in May.
For Gardening:
- Planting aboveground crops: 5, 6
- Planting belowground crops: 22–24
For Setting Eggs:
- 11–13, 21, 22
For Fishing:
- 1–16, 30
See Best Days for more activities.
Full Moon Folklore
- Clothes washed for the first time in the Full Moon will not last long.
- The Full Moon is an ideal time to accept a proposal of marriage.
Share your thoughts about the May Moon below!
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Last year about this time was the first time I saw my first SUPERMOON and I am a lifetime stargazer .. what we witnessed was the clouds came in fast and dark and u. Could barely see her then poof the dark clouds vanished and she was glowing enough to put glare in camera ....I am a moon child..actually I would say sky child too my favorite ..watching white puffy clouds form shapes as a child .my brother and I still do after 55 years now when can name from characters in fantasy stories.. our first supermoon was the universes way of communicating with me that we are on a lil piece of heaven and our total world our trees that frame the sky look like a heart ..I have moon phase apps.on my phone lol. LUNA LOVER
Last year about this time was the first time I saw my first SUPERMOON and I am a lifetime stargazer .. what we witnessed was the clouds came in fast and dark and u. Could barely see her then poof the dark clouds vanished and she was glowing enough to put glare in camera ....I am a moon child..actually I would say sky child too my favorite ..watching white puffy clouds form shapes as a child .my brother and I still do after 55 years now when can name from characters in fantasy stories.. our first supermoon was the universes way of communicating with me that we are on a lil piece of heaven and our total world our trees that frame the sky look like a heart ..I have moon phase apps.on my phone lol. LUNA LOVER
Dude, my grandma, who was a woman of pure European blood in a very isolated rural area of Europe, called the whole month of may Flower Month. We usually make sculpture with certain flowers and leaves, and carpets of flowers in this month, so… the name is just logical.
Hello,
I am a large beef farmer's daughter and now soon 52 yrs young. My parents were huge gardeners as well. I have had a vegetable/flower garden for as long as I can remember. I have never planted according to the moon phases. My parents spoke of always planting on the May Long Weekend. That is traditionally the time to plant in our zone 3. I am rethinking this tradition a little and tweaking it some... I am always struggling with spinach that bolts and lettuce! Well it loves cooler temps and I intend to plant it today or tomorrow along with peas, kale, brussell sprouts, and cabbage. The moon is in the waxing phase here now as just recently being the new moon. So it may just cost me some seed but after all that I have read I believe I will have a great harvest of these veg this year. PS my spinach actually over-wintered last year 2019-2020 which was not a very mild winter but lots of snow for insulation may have facilitated this.
Poppies, snapdragons are going directly out soon as well. They have also year after year came up from self sowing and I am not worried about these hardy frost tolerant floweres.
After the full moon in April I will experiment with the waning moon phase with potatoes, radish, turnip, beets, and onions. What do you think of this idea? I am wrong should I wait until the same periods in May as it is April here and our last frost date is June 6?
Since the pandemic hit I started a mail order seed business. It is my new passion and so far growing and doing well and steady.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
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