- 6 May, 06:25 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 13 May, 16:49 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 20 May, 08:02 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 27 May, 19:13 Vilnius time: new moon.
- During May 1987 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 12 June 1987 (June 1987).
Moon phase times, May 1987
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 6 May | First quarter | 06:25 | 02:25 |
| Wed 13 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 16:49 | 12:49 |
| Wed 20 May | Last quarter | 08:02 | 04:02 |
| Wed 27 May | New moon | 19:13 | 15:13 |
The sky: May 1987
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 1 May | The Moon near Mars | About 3.8° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Tue 5 May | Venus and Jupiter together | 0.6° apart, but not in a dark sky. |
| Wed 6 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 55% lit and will hide some fainter meteors. |
| Sat 23 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 1.9° apart, but Jupiter is not visible that night. |
| Mon 25 May | The Moon near Venus | About 4.0° apart, but Venus is not visible that night. |
| Fri 29 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 2.8° apart. Look for Mercury next to the Moon. |
| Sat 30 May | The Moon near Mars | About 4.0° apart. Look for Mars 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 1987
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 15 Jan | 02:30 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Fri 13 Feb | 20:57 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Sun 15 Mar | 13:12 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Tue 14 Apr | 02:30 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Wed 13 May | 12:49 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Fri 12 Jun | 20:48 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Sat 11 Jul | 03:32 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Sun 9 Aug | 10:16 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Mon 7 Sep | 18:12 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Wed 7 Oct | 04:12 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Thu 5 Nov | 16:45 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Sat 5 Dec | 08:00 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1987
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 29 Jan | 13:44 | passed |
| Sat 28 Feb | 00:50 | passed |
| Sun 29 Mar | 12:45 | passed |
| Tue 28 Apr | 01:34 | passed |
| Wed 27 May | 15:13 | passed |
| Fri 26 Jun | 05:36 | passed |
| Sun 26 Jul | 20:37 | passed |
| Mon 24 Aug | 11:58 | passed |
| Wed 23 Sep | 03:08 | passed |
| Thu 22 Oct | 17:27 | passed |
| Sat 21 Nov | 06:32 | passed |
| Sun 20 Dec | 18:24 | 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 1987
No eclipse data for 1987.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 1987?
The full moon is on 13 May 1987. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 1987?
The new moon is on 27 May 1987. 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.