- 4 May, 12:19 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 12 May, 07:18 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 18 May, 21:23 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- 25 May, 23:43 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- During May 2038 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 17 June 2038 (June 2038).
Moon phase times, May 2038
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 4 May | New moon | 12:19 | 09:19 |
| Wed 12 May | First quarter | 07:18 | 04:18 |
| Tue 18 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 21:23 | 18:23 |
| Tue 25 May | Last quarter | 23:43 | 20:43 |
The sky: May 2038
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Sat 1 May | The Moon near Venus | About 5.7° apart, but Venus is not visible that night. |
| Sun 2 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 2.1° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Wed 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 2% lit and will not interfere. |
| Sun 9 May | The Moon near Mars | About 1.0° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Mon 10 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 0.7° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Thu 13 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 2.3° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Sun 23 May | Mars and Jupiter together | Only 1.0° apart: both fit in a binocular field. |
| Sun 30 May | The Moon near Venus | About 2.8° apart, but Venus 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 2038
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 21 Jan | 04:00 | Wolf Moon | next |
| Fri 19 Feb | 16:09 | Snow Moon | |
| Sun 21 Mar | 02:09 | Worm Moon | |
| Mon 19 Apr | 10:36 | Pink Moon | |
| Tue 18 May | 18:23 | Flower Moon | |
| Thu 17 Jun | 02:30 | Strawberry Moon | |
| Fri 16 Jul | 11:48 | Buck Moon | |
| Sun 15 Aug | 22:56 | Sturgeon Moon | |
| Mon 13 Sep | 12:24 | Harvest Moon | |
| Wed 13 Oct | 04:21 | Hunter’s Moon | |
| Fri 12 Nov | 22:27 | Beaver Moon | |
| Sat 11 Dec | 17:30 | Cold Moon |
New moon dates 2038
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 5 Jan | 13:41 | next |
| Thu 4 Feb | 05:52 | |
| Sat 6 Mar | 23:15 | |
| Sun 4 Apr | 16:43 | |
| Tue 4 May | 09:19 | |
| Thu 3 Jun | 00:24 | |
| Fri 2 Jul | 13:32 | |
| Sun 1 Aug | 00:40 | |
| Mon 30 Aug | 10:12 | |
| Tue 28 Sep | 18:57 | |
| Thu 28 Oct | 03:52 | |
| Fri 26 Nov | 13:46 | |
| Sun 26 Dec | 01:02 |
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 2038
No eclipse data for 2038.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2038?
The full moon is on 18 May 2038. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2038?
The new moon is on 4 May 2038. 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.