Here’s how you can see May’s full Flower Moon
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — This month’s full moon, the Flower Moon, will soon illuminate the night sky.
This full moon is known by several names, including the Flower Moon, the Milk Moon and the Corn Moon.
In the U.S., we typically refer to full moons using Native American names popularized by the Maine Farmers’ Almanac in the 1930s, according to NASA. The Algonquin tribes of what is now the northeastern U.S. referred to May’s full moon as the Flower Moon in honor of the blooming springtime flowers.
Some Native Americans named the moon the Corn Moon, the almanac said, which likely refers to the late spring, early summer corn planting season.
According to NASA, the almanac lists the old English name as the Milk Moon because “in 703 AD the English monk St. Bede the Venerable wrote that what we now call May was the ‘Three-Milkings Month,’ apparently because this was the month when cows could be milked three times a day.”
May’s full moon also coincides with Vesak, a Buddhist holiday observed in South Asia, Tibet and Mongolia. The occasion is sometimes referred to as “Buddha’s Birthday.”
When can you see the full Flower Moon?
The Flower Moon will be in “full bloom” on Thursday, May 23. Moonrise is just before 10 a.m. EST, and if you have clear skies at this time, make sure to look to the east.
The full moon will be visible through Friday evening.
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