Moon — and what comes next

Here's what you need to know as the full "Flower Moon" takes to the spring sky on May 1 and when to look out for a rare "Blue Moon" later in the month. Moon has emerged this Saturday as one of the stories drawing attention in South Africa.

Key facts

• Here's what you need to know as the full "Flower Moon" takes to the spring sky on May 1 and when to look out for a rare "Blue Moon" later in the month.
• May’s sky features not one but two full moons as well as the dazzling Eta Aquarids meteor shower.
• Mars, crescent moon, Saturn appear close together—May 12-13.
• While May 12 and 13 provide optimal alignment, you can also catch the trio clustered together in a pyramid shape on May 14, when the moon is a dramatically thin wisp.
• Shooting stars before dawn, a brilliant meetup between the Moon and Venus and a rare blue moon to end the month.

What we know

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

On the substance, Mars, crescent moon, Saturn appear close together—May 12-13.

Beyond the headlines, while May 12 and 13 provide optimal alignment, you can also catch the trio clustered together in a pyramid shape on May 14, when the moon is a dramatically thin wisp.

More precisely, Shooting stars before dawn, a brilliant meetup between the Moon and Venus and a rare blue moon to end the month.

It is worth noting that May's full moon rises as flowers bloom across the northern hemisphere.

By the numbers

At this stage, the peak is expected around May 5th to 6th, but bright moonlight this year may wash out some of the fainter meteors.

On a related note, Last month, Artemis II launched right around the time of the April 1st Full Moon, sending astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years and giving us some spectacular new views of our closest neighbor.

Going deeper, And now, May ends with another lunar moment: a Full Moon on May 31st.

On the substance, EDT (1723 GMT) on May 1 (local moonrise and moonset times depend on your location), as the lunar disk appears opposite the sun in our sky, fully lit by its rays.

The wider context

On a related note, Around this time, the moon may appear subtly smaller, while spanning 29.72 arcminutes — a unit used by astronomers to measure distances in the night sky — as opposed to its average size of around 31 arcminutes, according to the Las Cumbres Observatory.

Going deeper, Through the night, the moon tracks a low, arcing path over the southern horizon, before finally setting in the southwest at dawn on May 2.

On the substance, the Flower Moon sets the stage for a rare lunar event later in the month, when a second full moon — known to some as a "Blue Moon" — rises on May 31.

Beyond the headlines, the moon takes roughly 29.5 days to cycle through its four key phases.

More precisely, because this is close to the length of a calendar month, we usually experience 12 full moons in a year.

The bottom line

• While May 12 and 13 provide optimal alignment, you can also catch the trio clustered together in a pyramid shape on May 14, when the moon is a dramatically thin wisp.
• The peak is expected around May 5th to 6th, but bright moonlight this year may wash out some of the fainter meteors.
• The Flower Moon sets the stage for a rare lunar event later in the month, when a second full moon — known to some as a "Blue Moon" — rises on May 31.