- 4 May, 06:42 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 11 May, 13:36 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 18 May, 07:13 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 25 May, 20:19 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- During May 2015 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 2 June 2015 (June 2015).
Moon phase times, May 2015
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 4 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 06:42 | 03:42 |
| Mon 11 May | Last quarter | 13:36 | 10:36 |
| Mon 18 May | New moon | 07:13 | 04:13 |
| Mon 25 May | First quarter | 20:19 | 17:19 |
The sky: May 2015
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Tue 5 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 2.0° 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 95% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Thu 7 May | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 21° in the evening sky. Look low in the west after sunset. |
| Tue 19 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 5.7° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Sat 23 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. |
| Sun 24 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 5.0° apart. Look for Jupiter 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 2015
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 5 Jan | 04:53 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Wed 4 Feb | 23:09 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Thu 5 Mar | 18:05 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Sat 4 Apr | 12:05 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Mon 4 May | 03:42 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Tue 2 Jun | 16:19 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Thu 2 Jul | 02:19 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Fri 31 Jul | 10:42 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Sat 29 Aug | 18:35 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Mon 28 Sep | 02:50 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Tue 27 Oct | 12:05 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Thu 26 Nov | 22:44 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Fri 25 Dec | 11:11 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 2015
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 20 Jan | 13:13 | passed |
| Thu 19 Feb | 23:47 | passed |
| Fri 20 Mar | 09:36 | passed |
| Sat 18 Apr | 18:56 | passed |
| Mon 18 May | 04:13 | passed |
| Tue 16 Jun | 14:05 | passed |
| Thu 16 Jul | 01:24 | passed |
| Fri 14 Aug | 14:53 | passed |
| Sun 13 Sep | 06:41 | passed |
| Tue 13 Oct | 00:05 | passed |
| Wed 11 Nov | 17:47 | passed |
| Fri 11 Dec | 10:29 | 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 2015
No eclipse data for 2015.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2015?
The full moon is on 4 May 2015. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2015?
The new moon is on 18 May 2015. 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.