When is the next full moon? What is the Flower Moon? What to know about May's full moon

Chad Murphy, Akron Beacon Journal
·3 min read

Get ready to howl at the moon -- May's full moon is coming soon.

Here's what you should know about the Flower Moon.

When is the full moon in May 2024?

The next full moon will happen on Thursday, May 23, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

The full moon will peak at 9:53 a.m. ET, according to Space.com, but will still appear full to the casual observer the day before and after its peak.

What is the full moon in May called?

May's full moon got its name -- the Flower Moon -- because of the "abundant flowers in bloom" this month, according to the Farmers' Almanac. It also goes by other names, both regionally and culturally.

The Ojibwe call it Waawaaskone Giizis, the Flower Moon, according to Space.com. The Cree call it the Frog Moon because it's when frogs tend to become active. The Cherokee call it a planting moon.

In the Southeast, according to the Farmers' Almanac, the Creek and Choctaw call it the Mulberry Moon. In the Northwest, the Kalapuya call the full moon "Camas Blooming Time." The Lakota call it the Moon of the Green Leaves.

In the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere, the Maori people of New Zealand call the lunar month from May to June "Pipiri" -- "all things on earth are contracted because of the cold," according to the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

The April full moon rises over the dunes at Herring Cove Beach in Massachusetts.
The April full moon rises over the dunes at Herring Cove Beach in Massachusetts.

Full moon 2024 calendar

  • May 23: Flower Moon

  • June 21: Strawberry Moon

  • July 21: Buck Moon

  • Aug. 19: Sturgeon Moon

  • Sept. 17: Harvest Moon

  • Oct. 17: Hunter's Moon

  • Nov. 15: Beaver Moon

  • Dec. 15: Cold Moon

  • Jan. 13, 2025: Wolf Moon

  • Feb. 12, 2025: Snow Moon

  • March 14, 2025: Worm Moon

  • April 12, 2025: Pink Moon

What's in a name? What to know about full moons in 2024: When full moons are and their names

What is a Blue Moon?

There are two types of Blue Moons — monthly and seasonal, according to NASA.

A monthly Blue Moon is the second full moon of a calendar month with two full moons. The next monthly Blue Moon will happen on May 31, 2026, according to Time and Date.

A seasonal Blue Moon, according to NASA, is the third full moon of an astronomical season that has four full moons. The next one will be Aug. 19, 2024, according to Time and Date.

So, what's an astronomical season? It's the period of time between solstices and equinoxes, according to NASA. For example, it's said the spring begins on the Spring Equinox -- when the Northern and Southern hemispheres have roughly the same amount of daylight -- and lasts until summer begins on the Summer Solstice -- the longest day of the year. That period of time is one astronomical season.

Each season typically has three full moons, each about 30 days apart. But because the lunar cycle and the calendar don't match, occasionally there will be a fourth full moon during that period of time.

Michael Garcia, West Palm Beach, (left) fishes off the Boynton Beach inlet as a Supermoon rises in Boynton Beach, Florida on Sept. 8, 2014.
Michael Garcia, West Palm Beach, (left) fishes off the Boynton Beach inlet as a Supermoon rises in Boynton Beach, Florida on Sept. 8, 2014.

What is a Supermoon?

A Supermoon occurs when the moon's orbit brings it closest to the earth at the same time as a full moon, according to NASA.

According to Space.com, there will be four Supermoons in 2024: on Aug. 19, Sept. 17, Oct., 17 and Nov. 15.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Full moon calendar 2024: What to know about the Flower Moon in May