- 3 May, 22:30 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 10 May, 13:29 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 17 May, 16:29 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 25 May, 20:35 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- During May 2051 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 24 June 2051 (June 2051).
Moon phase times, May 2051
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 3 May | Last quarter | 22:30 | 19:30 |
| Wed 10 May | New moon | 13:29 | 10:29 |
| Wed 17 May | First quarter | 16:29 | 13:29 |
| Thu 25 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 20:35 | 17:35 |
The sky: May 2051
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Mon 1 May | Mercury and Venus together | 1.7° apart, but not in a dark sky. |
| Thu 4 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 5.9° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Fri 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 26% lit and will not interfere. |
| Mon 8 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 3.7° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Mon 8 May | The Moon near Venus | About 2.3° apart, but Venus is not visible that night. |
| Fri 12 May | Mercury and Venus together | 1.1° apart, but not in a dark sky. |
| Sat 13 May | The Moon near Mars | About 5.7° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Wed 17 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 5.9° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Wed 31 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 5.8° apart. Look for Saturn 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 2051
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 26 Jan | 21:20 | Wolf Moon | next |
| Sat 25 Feb | 14:53 | Snow Moon | |
| Mon 27 Mar | 09:00 | Worm Moon | |
| Wed 26 Apr | 02:19 | Pink Moon | |
| Thu 25 May | 17:35 | Flower Moon | |
| Sat 24 Jun | 06:14 | Strawberry Moon | |
| Sun 23 Jul | 16:36 | Buck Moon | |
| Tue 22 Aug | 01:35 | Sturgeon Moon | |
| Wed 20 Sep | 10:11 | Harvest Moon | |
| Thu 19 Oct | 19:13 | Hunter’s Moon | |
| Sat 18 Nov | 05:06 | Beaver Moon | |
| Sun 17 Dec | 16:05 | Cold Moon |
New moon dates 2051
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 12 Jan | 18:58 | next |
| Sat 11 Feb | 06:41 | |
| Sun 12 Mar | 16:52 | |
| Tue 11 Apr | 01:59 | |
| Wed 10 May | 10:29 | |
| Thu 8 Jun | 18:56 | |
| Sat 8 Jul | 04:09 | |
| Sun 6 Aug | 15:05 | |
| Tue 5 Sep | 04:33 | |
| Wed 4 Oct | 20:47 | |
| Fri 3 Nov | 14:59 | |
| Sun 3 Dec | 09:37 |
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 2051
No eclipse data for 2051.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2051?
The full moon is on 25 May 2051. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2051?
The new moon is on 10 May 2051. 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.