- 5 May, 05:30 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 11 May, 20:57 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 18 May, 19:16 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 26 May, 23:23 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Flower Moon.
- During May 2078 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 25 June 2078 (June 2078).
Moon phase times, May 2078
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 5 May | Last quarter | 05:30 | 02:30 |
| Wed 11 May | New moon | 20:57 | 17:57 |
| Wed 18 May | First quarter | 19:16 | 16:16 |
| Thu 26 May | Full moon · Flower Moon | 23:23 | 20:23 |
The sky: May 2078
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 3 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 5.0° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Thu 5 May | Eta Aquariids meteor shower peak | Up to 50 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 45% lit and will hide some fainter meteors. |
| Mon 9 May | The Moon near Venus | About 1.6° apart, but Venus is not visible that night. |
| Tue 10 May | The Moon near Mercury | About 0.5° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Mon 23 May | The Moon near Mars | About 1.9° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Fri 27 May | The Moon near Jupiter | About 2.8° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Mon 30 May | The Moon near Saturn | About 5.0° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Tue 31 May | Jupiter at opposition | The planet is opposite the Sun: it rises at sunset, is up all night and at its brightest of the year. |
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 2078
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 28 Jan | 01:34 | Wolf Moon | next |
| Sat 26 Feb | 17:51 | Snow Moon | |
| Mon 28 Mar | 11:05 | Worm Moon | |
| Wed 27 Apr | 04:20 | Pink Moon | |
| Thu 26 May | 20:23 | Flower Moon | |
| Sat 25 Jun | 10:23 | Strawberry Moon | |
| Mon 25 Jul | 22:08 | Buck Moon | |
| Tue 23 Aug | 08:12 | Sturgeon Moon | |
| Wed 21 Sep | 17:32 | Harvest Moon | |
| Fri 21 Oct | 02:55 | Hunter’s Moon | |
| Sat 19 Nov | 12:53 | Beaver Moon | |
| Mon 19 Dec | 23:35 | Cold Moon |
New moon dates 2078
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 14 Jan | 01:15 | next |
| Sat 12 Feb | 14:00 | |
| Mon 14 Mar | 00:38 | |
| Tue 12 Apr | 09:46 | |
| Wed 11 May | 17:57 | |
| Fri 10 Jun | 01:50 | |
| Sat 9 Jul | 10:09 | |
| Sun 7 Aug | 19:53 | |
| Tue 6 Sep | 08:00 | |
| Thu 6 Oct | 23:07 | |
| Fri 4 Nov | 16:57 | |
| Sun 4 Dec | 12:09 |
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 2078
No eclipse data for 2078.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in May 2078?
The full moon is on 26 May 2078. Its traditional name is the Flower Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in May 2078?
The new moon is on 11 May 2078. 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.