- 1 May, 20:23 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 10 May, 00:10 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 16 May, 23:01 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 23 May, 14:10 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 31 May, 11:45 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- During May 2026 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 30 June 2026 (June 2026).
Moon phase times, May 2026
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 | Full moon · Flower Moon | 20:23 | 17:23 |
| Sun 10 May | Last quarter | 00:10 | 21:10 |
| Sat 16 May | New moon | 23:01 | 20:01 |
| Sat 23 May | First quarter | 14:10 | 11:10 |
| Sun 31 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 11:45 | 08:45 |
The sky: May 2026
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 | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 84% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Wed 13 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 5.1° apart, but Saturn is not visible that night. |
| Thu 14 May | The Moon near Mars | About 4.7° apart, but Mars is not visible that night. |
| Tue 19 May | The Moon near Venus | About 2.9° apart. Look for Venus next to the Moon. |
| Wed 20 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 3.0° 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 2026
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 3 Jan | 10:02 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Mon 2 Feb | 22:09 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Tue 3 Mar | 11:37 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Thu 2 Apr | 02:12 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Fri 1 May | 17:23 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Sun 31 May | 08:45 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Tue 30 Jun | 23:56 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Wed 29 Jul | 14:35 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Fri 28 Aug | 04:18 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Sat 26 Sep | 16:49 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Mon 26 Oct | 04:11 | Hunter’s Moon | next |
| Tue 24 Nov | 14:53 | Beaver Moon | |
| Thu 24 Dec | 01:28 | Cold Moon |
New moon dates 2026
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 18 Jan | 19:52 | passed |
| Tue 17 Feb | 12:01 | passed |
| Thu 19 Mar | 01:23 | passed |
| Fri 17 Apr | 11:51 | passed |
| Sat 16 May | 20:01 | passed |
| Mon 15 Jun | 02:54 | passed |
| Tue 14 Jul | 09:43 | passed |
| Wed 12 Aug | 17:36 | passed |
| Fri 11 Sep | 03:26 | passed |
| Sat 10 Oct | 15:50 | passed |
| Mon 9 Nov | 07:02 | next |
| Wed 9 Dec | 00:51 |
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 2026
| Date | Eclipse | Greatest eclipse (UTC) | From Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 February 2026 | Annular solar eclipse | 12:12 | not visible |
| 3 March 2026 | Total lunar eclipse | 11:34 | not visible |
| 12 August 2026 | Total solar eclipse | 17:46 | visible |
| 28 August 2026 | Partial lunar eclipse | 04:13 | visible |
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2026?
The full moon is on 1 May 2026, 31 May 2026. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2026?
The new moon is on 16 May 2026. 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.