- 5 May, 20:34 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 12 May, 17:28 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 19 May, 18:53 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 27 May, 18:22 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- During May 2023 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 4 June 2023 (June 2023).
Moon phase times, May 2023
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 5 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 20:34 | 17:34 |
| Fri 12 May | Last quarter | 17:28 | 14:28 |
| Fri 19 May | New moon | 18:53 | 15:53 |
| Sat 27 May | First quarter | 18:22 | 15:22 |
The sky: May 2023
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 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 100% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Sat 13 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 3.0° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Wed 17 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 0.7° apart, but Jupiter is not visible that night. |
| Thu 18 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 3.3° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Tue 23 May | The Moon near Venus | About 2.2° apart. Look for Venus next to the Moon. |
| Wed 24 May | The Moon near Mars | About 3.7° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Mon 29 May | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 25° in the morning sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
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 2023
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 7 Jan | 23:08 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Sun 5 Feb | 18:28 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Tue 7 Mar | 12:40 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Thu 6 Apr | 04:34 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Fri 5 May | 17:34 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Sun 4 Jun | 03:41 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Mon 3 Jul | 11:38 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Tue 1 Aug | 18:31 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Thu 31 Aug | 01:35 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Fri 29 Sep | 09:57 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Sat 28 Oct | 20:24 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Mon 27 Nov | 09:16 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Wed 27 Dec | 00:33 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 2023
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 21 Jan | 20:53 | passed |
| Mon 20 Feb | 07:05 | passed |
| Tue 21 Mar | 17:23 | passed |
| Thu 20 Apr | 04:12 | passed |
| Fri 19 May | 15:53 | passed |
| Sun 18 Jun | 04:37 | passed |
| Mon 17 Jul | 18:31 | passed |
| Wed 16 Aug | 09:38 | passed |
| Fri 15 Sep | 01:39 | passed |
| Sat 14 Oct | 17:55 | passed |
| Mon 13 Nov | 09:27 | passed |
| Wed 13 Dec | 23:32 | 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 2023
No eclipse data for 2023.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2023?
The full moon is on 5 May 2023. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2023?
The new moon is on 19 May 2023. 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.