- 7 May, 06:39 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 13 May, 22:07 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 21 May, 10:17 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 29 May, 14:19 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- During May 2031 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 5 June 2031 (June 2031).
Moon phase times, May 2031
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 7 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 06:39 | 03:39 |
| Tue 13 May | Last quarter | 22:07 | 19:07 |
| Wed 21 May | New moon | 10:17 | 07:17 |
| Thu 29 May | First quarter | 14:19 | 11:19 |
The sky: May 2031
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 2 May | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 27° in the morning sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
| Sun 4 May | Mars at opposition | The planet is opposite the Sun: it rises at sunset, is up all night and at its brightest of the year. |
| Mon 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 99% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Tue 6 May | The Moon near Mars | About 1.8° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Sat 10 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 2.1° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Mon 19 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 4.3° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
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 2031
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 8 Jan | 18:25 | Wolf Moon | next |
| Fri 7 Feb | 12:46 | Snow Moon | |
| Sun 9 Mar | 04:29 | Worm Moon | |
| Mon 7 Apr | 17:21 | Pink Moon | |
| Wed 7 May | 03:39 | Flower Moon | |
| Thu 5 Jun | 11:58 | Strawberry Moon | |
| Fri 4 Jul | 19:01 | Buck Moon | |
| Sun 3 Aug | 01:45 | Sturgeon Moon | |
| Mon 1 Sep | 09:20 | Harvest Moon | |
| Tue 30 Sep | 18:57 | Blue Moon | |
| Thu 30 Oct | 07:32 | Hunter’s Moon | |
| Sat 29 Nov | 23:18 | Beaver Moon | |
| Sun 28 Dec | 17:33 | Cold Moon |
New moon dates 2031
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 23 Jan | 04:31 | next |
| Fri 21 Feb | 15:48 | |
| Sun 23 Mar | 03:49 | |
| Mon 21 Apr | 16:57 | |
| Wed 21 May | 07:17 | |
| Fri 20 Jun | 22:24 | |
| Sat 19 Jul | 13:40 | |
| Mon 18 Aug | 04:32 | |
| Tue 16 Sep | 18:47 | |
| Thu 16 Oct | 08:20 | |
| Fri 14 Nov | 21:09 | |
| Sun 14 Dec | 09:05 |
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 2031
No eclipse data for 2031.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2031?
The full moon is on 7 May 2031. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2031?
The new moon is on 21 May 2031. 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.