- 4 May, 23:52 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 11 May, 21:33 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 20 May, 01:40 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 27 May, 16:55 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- During May 1985 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 3 June 1985 (June 1985).
Moon phase times, May 1985
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 4 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 23:52 | 19:52 |
| Sat 11 May | Last quarter | 21:33 | 17:33 |
| Mon 20 May | New moon | 01:40 | 21:40 |
| Mon 27 May | First quarter | 16:55 | 12:55 |
The sky: May 1985
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Wed 1 May | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 27° in the morning sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
| Sun 5 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 3.1° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Sun 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 98% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Sat 11 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 4.7° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Wed 15 May | Saturn at opposition | The planet is opposite the Sun: it rises at sunset, is up all night and at its brightest of the year. |
| Thu 16 May | The Moon near Venus | About 2.6° apart, but Venus is not visible that night. |
| Sat 18 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 1.4° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Tue 21 May | The Moon near Mars | About 1.8° apart, but Mars is not visible that night. |
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 1985
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 7 Jan | 02:15 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Tue 5 Feb | 15:18 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Thu 7 Mar | 02:12 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Fri 5 Apr | 11:32 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Sat 4 May | 19:52 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Mon 3 Jun | 03:50 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Tue 2 Jul | 12:08 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Thu 1 Aug | 21:40 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Fri 30 Aug | 09:26 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Sun 29 Sep | 00:08 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Mon 28 Oct | 17:37 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Wed 27 Nov | 12:41 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Fri 27 Dec | 07:30 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1985
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 21 Jan | 02:28 | passed |
| Tue 19 Feb | 18:42 | passed |
| Thu 21 Mar | 11:58 | passed |
| Sat 20 Apr | 05:21 | passed |
| Mon 20 May | 21:40 | passed |
| Tue 18 Jun | 11:57 | passed |
| Thu 18 Jul | 23:56 | passed |
| Fri 16 Aug | 10:05 | passed |
| Sat 14 Sep | 19:19 | passed |
| Mon 14 Oct | 04:32 | passed |
| Tue 12 Nov | 14:20 | passed |
| Thu 12 Dec | 00:54 | 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 1985
No eclipse data for 1985.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 1985?
The full moon is on 4 May 1985. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 1985?
The new moon is on 20 May 1985. 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.