- 1 May, 23:44 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 9 May, 07:01 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 17 May, 10:25 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 24 May, 15:10 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 31 May, 06:22 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- During May 2009 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 7 June 2009 (June 2009).
Moon phase times, May 2009
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 May | First quarter | 23:44 | 20:44 |
| Sat 9 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 07:01 | 04:01 |
| Sun 17 May | Last quarter | 10:25 | 07:25 |
| Sun 24 May | New moon | 15:10 | 12:10 |
| Sun 31 May | First quarter | 06:22 | 03:22 |
The sky: May 2009
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Mon 4 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 5.5° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Tue 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 89% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Sun 17 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 2.7° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Sun 31 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 5.7° apart. Look for Saturn 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 2009
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 11 Jan | 03:26 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Mon 9 Feb | 14:49 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Wed 11 Mar | 02:37 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Thu 9 Apr | 14:55 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Sat 9 May | 04:01 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Sun 7 Jun | 18:11 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Tue 7 Jul | 09:21 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Thu 6 Aug | 00:54 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Fri 4 Sep | 16:02 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Sun 4 Oct | 06:10 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Mon 2 Nov | 19:13 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Wed 2 Dec | 07:30 | Cold Moon | passed |
| Thu 31 Dec | 19:12 | Blue Moon | passed |
New moon dates 2009
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 26 Jan | 07:55 | passed |
| Wed 25 Feb | 01:35 | passed |
| Thu 26 Mar | 16:05 | passed |
| Sat 25 Apr | 03:22 | passed |
| Sun 24 May | 12:10 | passed |
| Mon 22 Jun | 19:34 | passed |
| Wed 22 Jul | 02:34 | passed |
| Thu 20 Aug | 10:01 | passed |
| Fri 18 Sep | 18:44 | passed |
| Sun 18 Oct | 05:33 | passed |
| Mon 16 Nov | 19:13 | passed |
| Wed 16 Dec | 12:02 | 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 2009
No eclipse data for 2009.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2009?
The full moon is on 9 May 2009. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2009?
The new moon is on 24 May 2009. 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.