- 5 May, 20:53 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 12 May, 16:04 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 19 May, 08:43 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 27 May, 10:29 Vilnius time: new moon.
- During May 1968 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 10 June 1968 (June 1968).
Moon phase times, May 1968
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 5 May | First quarter | 20:53 | 17:53 |
| Sun 12 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 16:04 | 13:04 |
| Sun 19 May | Last quarter | 08:43 | 05:43 |
| Mon 27 May | New moon | 10:29 | 07:29 |
The sky: May 1968
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Sun 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 52% lit and will hide some fainter meteors. |
| Mon 6 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 3.0° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Thu 23 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 2.6° apart, but Saturn is not visible that night. |
| Fri 24 May | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 23° in the evening sky. Look low in the west after sunset. |
| Wed 29 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 3.5° apart. Look for Mercury next to the Moon. |
How to read the moon calendar
Each day shows its date, the share of the Moon’s disc that is lit at noon, and the Moon’s shape that day. When a full moon, new moon or quarter falls on a day, it is named at the bottom of the cell.
Illumination is the part of the disc lit by the Sun. It grows from new moon to full moon (waxing) and shrinks from full moon to new moon (waning). Each day opens its own page with every signal for that date.
Full moon dates 1968
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 15 Jan | 16:10 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Wed 14 Feb | 06:42 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Thu 14 Mar | 18:51 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Sat 13 Apr | 04:51 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Sun 12 May | 13:04 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Mon 10 Jun | 20:12 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Wed 10 Jul | 03:17 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Thu 8 Aug | 11:31 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Sat 7 Sep | 22:06 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Sun 6 Oct | 11:45 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Tue 5 Nov | 04:24 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Thu 5 Dec | 23:06 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1968
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 29 Jan | 16:28 | passed |
| Wed 28 Feb | 06:55 | passed |
| Fri 29 Mar | 22:47 | passed |
| Sat 27 Apr | 15:20 | passed |
| Mon 27 May | 07:29 | passed |
| Wed 26 Jun | 22:23 | passed |
| Thu 25 Jul | 11:48 | passed |
| Sat 24 Aug | 23:55 | passed |
| Sun 22 Sep | 11:07 | passed |
| Tue 22 Oct | 21:43 | passed |
| Wed 20 Nov | 08:01 | passed |
| Thu 19 Dec | 18:18 | passed |
The eight moon phases explained
Four principal phases are exact instants; the four in between are the days that connect them.
Solar and lunar eclipses in 1968
No eclipse data for 1968.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 1968?
The full moon is on 12 May 1968. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 1968?
The new moon is on 27 May 1968. The Moon can’t be seen that night: it sits between Earth and the Sun with its lit side turned away.
What do the percentages mean?
They show how much of the Moon’s disc is lit at noon. 0% is new moon, 100% is full moon and 50% is a quarter.
Why does another calendar give a different date?
A phase is a moment. When it falls near midnight, the date can differ by one day between time zones. This calendar uses Europe/Vilnius time for the days.
How often is there a full moon?
About every 29.5 days. Some months have two; the second is called a Blue Moon.
- Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed., Willmann-Bell, 1998, chapters 48 and 49.
- NASA Eclipse Web Site (eclipse dates and visibility).
Numbers update through the day from public sources. The text for each day is written from that day’s data and checked by the editor. Every past day keeps its own page in the archive.