- 7 May, 07:46 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 15 May, 10:39 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 22 May, 16:16 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 29 May, 06:29 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- During May 1978 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 20 June 1978 (June 1978).
Moon phase times, May 1978
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 7 May | New moon | 07:46 | 04:46 |
| Mon 15 May | First quarter | 10:39 | 07:39 |
| Mon 22 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 16:16 | 13:16 |
| Mon 29 May | Last quarter | 06:29 | 03:29 |
The sky: May 1978
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Fri 5 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 1.7° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Fri 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 1% lit and will not interfere. |
| Tue 9 May | The Moon near Venus | About 5.8° apart. Look for Venus next to the Moon. |
| Tue 9 May | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 26° in the morning sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
| Thu 11 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 5.2° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Sun 14 May | The Moon near Mars | About 5.7° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Mon 15 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 4.8° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Mon 29 May | Venus and Jupiter together | Only 1.6° apart: both fit in a binocular field. |
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 1978
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 24 Jan | 07:55 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Thu 23 Feb | 01:26 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Fri 24 Mar | 16:19 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Sun 23 Apr | 04:10 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Mon 22 May | 13:16 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Tue 20 Jun | 20:30 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Thu 20 Jul | 03:04 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Fri 18 Aug | 10:13 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Sat 16 Sep | 19:00 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Mon 16 Oct | 06:09 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Tue 14 Nov | 19:59 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Thu 14 Dec | 12:30 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1978
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 9 Jan | 03:59 | passed |
| Tue 7 Feb | 14:53 | passed |
| Thu 9 Mar | 02:35 | passed |
| Fri 7 Apr | 15:14 | passed |
| Sun 7 May | 04:46 | passed |
| Mon 5 Jun | 19:01 | passed |
| Wed 5 Jul | 09:50 | passed |
| Fri 4 Aug | 01:00 | passed |
| Sat 2 Sep | 16:08 | passed |
| Mon 2 Oct | 06:40 | passed |
| Tue 31 Oct | 20:06 | passed |
| Thu 30 Nov | 08:19 | passed |
| Fri 29 Dec | 19:35 | 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 1978
No eclipse data for 1978.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 1978?
The full moon is on 22 May 1978. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 1978?
The new moon is on 7 May 1978. 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.