- 8 May, 05:08 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 15 May, 14:47 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 22 May, 06:49 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 29 May, 17:19 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- During May 2018 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 28 June 2018 (June 2018).
Moon phase times, May 2018
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 8 May | Last quarter | 05:08 | 02:08 |
| Tue 15 May | New moon | 14:47 | 11:47 |
| Tue 22 May | First quarter | 06:49 | 03:49 |
| Tue 29 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 17:19 | 14:19 |
The sky: May 2018
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 1 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 4.2° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Fri 4 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 1.7° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Sat 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 69% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Sun 6 May | The Moon near Mars | About 2.7° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Wed 9 May | Jupiter at opposition | The planet is opposite the Sun: it rises at sunset, is up all night and at its brightest of the year. |
| Sun 13 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 2.3° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Thu 17 May | The Moon near Venus | About 4.8° apart. Look for Venus next to the Moon. |
| Sun 27 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 3.8° 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 2018
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 2 Jan | 02:24 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Wed 31 Jan | 13:26 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Fri 2 Mar | 00:51 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Sat 31 Mar | 12:36 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Mon 30 Apr | 00:58 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Tue 29 May | 14:19 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Thu 28 Jun | 04:53 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Fri 27 Jul | 20:20 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Sun 26 Aug | 11:56 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Tue 25 Sep | 02:52 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Wed 24 Oct | 16:45 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Fri 23 Nov | 05:39 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Sat 22 Dec | 17:48 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 2018
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 17 Jan | 02:17 | passed |
| Thu 15 Feb | 21:05 | passed |
| Sat 17 Mar | 13:11 | passed |
| Mon 16 Apr | 01:57 | passed |
| Tue 15 May | 11:47 | passed |
| Wed 13 Jun | 19:43 | passed |
| Fri 13 Jul | 02:47 | passed |
| Sat 11 Aug | 09:57 | passed |
| Sun 9 Sep | 18:01 | passed |
| Tue 9 Oct | 03:46 | passed |
| Wed 7 Nov | 16:02 | passed |
| Fri 7 Dec | 07:20 | 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 2018
No eclipse data for 2018.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2018?
The full moon is on 29 May 2018. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2018?
The new moon is on 15 May 2018. 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.