Full Moon Flower Moon: the full picture

With spring flowers in full bloom, May's full Flower Moon rises on Friday as Darren Bett explains. Full Moon Flower Moon has emerged this Saturday as one of the stories drawing attention in United Kingdom.

Key facts

• With spring flowers in full bloom, May's full Flower Moon rises on Friday as Darren Bett explains.
• May's full Moon is set to illuminate the night sky on Friday 1 May.
• Known as the Flower Moon, it will be at its fullest at 18:23.
• Tonight's full moon will be the fifth of 2026, which is an unusual 13-full-moon year. | ITV National News.
• The term Flower Moon is thought to be a reference to the fact that May is when flowers begin to bloom in earnest with spring well and truly in full swing.

What we know

Going deeper, May's full Moon is set to illuminate the night sky on Friday 1 May.

On the substance, Known as the Flower Moon, it will be at its fullest at 18:23.

Beyond the headlines, Tonight's full moon will be the fifth of 2026, which is an unusual 13-full-moon year. | ITV National News.

More precisely, the term Flower Moon is thought to be a reference to the fact that May is when flowers begin to bloom in earnest with spring well and truly in full swing.

It is worth noting that If you miss the opportunity to spot the Flower Moon, there will be a rare second full Moon opportunity at the tail end of the month, known as a Blue Moon.

By the numbers

At this stage, that means this year's Flower Moon will appear slightly smaller than usual because it is at the farthest point from Earth in its orbit - roughly 406,000km (252,000 miles) away.

On a related note, why do full Moons have names?Published13 March 2025.

Going deeper, because there is only about 29.5 days between each full Moon, it means that every two to three years we see 13 full Moons in a year.

On the substance, We get a full moon about once every 29.5 days - so roughly once a month (we call this cycle the synodic month), but not perfectly aligned with calendar months.

The wider context

On a related note, when this year's Flower Moon becomes full it will be close to its maximum distance from Earth.

Going deeper, May’s sky features not one but two full moons as well as the dazzling Eta Aquarids meteor shower.

On the substance, Known as the "Flower Moon", May's first full moon is named after the abundance of spring flowers.

Beyond the headlines, what is unusual about this full moon?Tonight's "Flower Moon" is actually a “micromoon” as it will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than usual.

More precisely, this is what will happen this month and the second full moon on May 31 is called a "Blue Moon".

The bottom line

• The term Flower Moon is thought to be a reference to the fact that May is when flowers begin to bloom in earnest with spring well and truly in full swing.
• When this year's Flower Moon becomes full it will be close to its maximum distance from Earth.
• That means this year's Flower Moon will appear slightly smaller than usual because it is at the farthest point from Earth in its orbit - roughly 406,000km (252,000 miles) away.