Full moon May 2027, the Flower MoonMay 20
10:59 UTCYour time: Thursday, May 20, 10:59 UTC393,893km away30.3′disc size−2.4%vs 2027 average5/12of the year
- New moonMay 6 · 10:59
- First quarterMay 13 · 04:44
- Full moonMay 20 · 10:59
- Last quarterMay 28 · 13:58
This moontime zonesmoonrise by citywhat you’ll seethe namemeaningFAQ
The Flower Moon of May 20, 2027 is a seasonal blue moon, the third of four full moons between the March equinox and the June solstice. It is also the second full moon in a row in the sign of Scorpio. The Flower Moon is exactly full at 10:59 UTC on Thursday, May 20, 2027.
What time is the full moon in May 2027?
A full moon is one instant for the whole planet: the moment the Moon stands exactly opposite the Sun. The clock time depends on your time zone, and this month the US, the UK, India and Australia share the same date.
| Where | Local date and time |
|---|---|
| UTC (world reference) | Thu, May 20 · 10:59 UTC |
| Hawaii | Thu, May 20 · 00:59 HST |
| Los Angeles, Seattle | Thu, May 20 · 03:59 PDT |
| Denver, Salt Lake City | Thu, May 20 · 04:59 MDT |
| Chicago, Winnipeg | Thu, May 20 · 05:59 CDT |
| New York, Toronto | Thu, May 20 · 06:59 EDT |
| London, Dublin | Thu, May 20 · 11:59 BST |
| Lagos | Thu, May 20 · 11:59 WAT |
| Johannesburg, Cape Town | Thu, May 20 · 12:59 SAST |
| New Delhi, Mumbai | Thu, May 20 · 16:29 IST |
| Singapore, Manila, Perth | Thu, May 20 · 18:59 UTC+8 |
| Sydney, Melbourne | Thu, May 20 · 20:59 AEST |
| Auckland, Wellington | Thu, May 20 · 22:59 NZST |
Your time zone (detected in your browser): Thursday, May 20, 10:59 UTC. Highlighted dates fall on a different calendar day than in UTC.
When does the Flower Moon rise?
On the night of a full moon the Moon rises in the east around sunset and sets in the west around sunrise. The table shows the evening to watch in each city, in local time. In Johannesburg it climbs to 90° above the horizon, in London only 12°.
| City | Evening | Sunset | Moonrise | Highest | Altitude | Moonset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | Wed, May 19 | 19:04 | 18:51 | 00:22 | 43° | 05:50 |
| Los Angeles | Wed, May 19 | 19:50 | 19:37 | 00:37 | 31° | 05:34 |
| Denver | Thu, May 20 | 20:12 | 21:02 | 01:35 | 23° | 06:05 |
| Chicago | Thu, May 20 | 20:08 | 20:58 | 01:23 | 21° | 05:45 |
| New York | Thu, May 20 | 20:10 | 20:57 | 01:27 | 22° | 05:53 |
| Toronto | Thu, May 20 | 20:41 | 21:31 | 01:49 | 19° | 06:03 |
| London | Thu, May 20 | 20:52 | 21:42 | 01:20 | 12° | 04:54 |
| Lagos | Thu, May 20 | 18:56 | 19:06 | 01:06 | 57° | 07:05 |
| Johannesburg | Thu, May 20 | 17:27 | 17:15 | 00:23 | 90° | 07:34 |
| New Delhi | Thu, May 20 | 19:07 | 19:18 | 00:29 | 35° | 05:38 |
| Singapore | Thu, May 20 | 19:06 | 18:59 | 01:09 | 63° | 07:19 |
| Manila | Thu, May 20 | 18:17 | 18:14 | 23:58 | 50° | 05:41 |
| Sydney | Thu, May 20 | 16:59 | 16:27 | 23:53 | 81° | 07:23 |
| Auckland | Thu, May 20 | 17:18 | 16:42 | 00:15 | 78° | 07:55 |
In the sky
What you’ll see.
The Flower Moon sits at the very end of Scorpio, well south of the celestial equator, so across the northern hemisphere it stays in the southern half of the sky. From London it hangs low all night, while from New York and New Delhi it climbs higher but never gets close to overhead. It rises in the southeast around sunset and often looks big and orange near the horizon, a mix of atmospheric scattering and the moon illusion. At about 394,000 km it is farther away than average, so it is slightly smaller than a typical full moon, a difference nobody sees by eye. And despite the label, nothing about it looks blue: a seasonal blue moon is purely a calendar count.
Seasonal blue moon. This is the third of four full moons in the astronomical spring of 2027, which makes it a seasonal blue moon. How the blue moon of 2027 works.
How big and how bright?
The Flower Moon is 393,893 km from Earth. Its disc measures 30.3 arcminutes against a 2027 average of 31.1, which is 2.4% smaller than average. The eye barely notices; a photo with the same lens does.
| Full moon | Distance | Disc | vs average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Moon | 357,635 km | 33.4′ | +7.5% |
| Snow Moon | 363,296 km | 32.9′ | +5.8% |
| Worm Moon | 372,518 km | 32.1′ | +3.2% |
| Pink Moon | 383,421 km | 31.1′ | +0.2% |
| Flower Moon | 393,893 km | 30.3′ | −2.4% |
| Strawberry Moon | 401,943 km | 29.7′ | −4.4% |
| Buck Moon | 405,968 km | 29.4′ | −5.4% |
| Sturgeon Moon | 405,069 km | 29.5′ | −5.1% |
| Harvest Moon | 399,341 km | 29.9′ | −3.8% |
| Hunter’s Moon | 389,926 km | 30.6′ | −1.4% |
| Beaver Moon | 378,754 km | 31.5′ | +1.5% |
| Cold Moon | 368,131 km | 32.5′ | +4.4% |
The nights around it
- Mon, May 1790.4%
- Tue, May 1895.6%
- Wed, May 1998.8%
- Thu, May 20 (full)99.8%
- Fri, May 2198.8%
- Sat, May 2296%
- Sun, May 2391.4%
Illuminated share of the disc at the same UTC time each day.
The name
Why it’s called the Flower Moon.
Flower Moon is the traditional name for the May full moon in North American almanac tradition, which draws on Native American and Colonial seasonal names. It marks the month when wildflowers bloom across much of the continent. Other names include Planting Moon, Budding Moon and Milk Moon. Many Buddhists celebrate Vesak, known in India as Buddha Purnima, around this full moon. Keep in mind that the almanac names follow northern hemisphere seasons: in Sydney, Cape Town or Buenos Aires, May is late autumn, not the season of spring blooms.
Other names: Planting Moon, Budding Moon, Milk Moon.
Southern hemisphere
In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
In Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America, the May full moon arrives in late autumn, the southern counterpart of the northern November Beaver Moon. Because it sits so far south, it rides very high for southern viewers, not far from overhead in Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires in the middle of the night. The blue moon count works there too: the seasons change on the same dates, so May 20 is also the third of four full moons of southern autumn.
Astrology
Full moon in Scorpio: what it means.
In astrology, this full moon falls on the last degree of Scorpio, opposite the sun at the end of Taurus. It is the second Scorpio full moon in a row: April’s landed on the first degree of the sign, May’s on the final one, and astrologers read that pairing as an opening and a closing. Taurus stands for what is steady, owned and comfortable. Scorpio stands for what lies underneath: trust, intimacy and the things people rarely say out loud. The traditional theme is completion. Whatever surfaced around the April full moon, a conversation, a feeling or a decision you kept postponing, this moon asks you to settle it rather than carry it forward.
Rituals
Three rituals for the Flower Moon.
- Reread your April notes If you wrote anything down at the April full moon, read it again tonight and note what has changed since. If you did not, write down one thing that has been on your mind for the past month. Finish with one sentence about what now feels done.
- Put flowers on the table Bring a few seasonal flowers or branches into your home and attach one sentence to them: this is what I want to let grow. In autumn, dried grasses or bare twigs work just as well. Each time you see them, repeat the sentence to yourself.
- Write a letter you will not send Write a short letter to someone you still hold something against, even if that someone is you. You do not need to send it. In the Scorpio tradition, closing a chapter means letting go, not forgetting.
Never miss one
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FAQ
The May 2027 full moon, answered.
What time is the full moon in May 2027?
The Flower Moon is exactly full at 10:59 UTC on Thursday, May 20, 2027. That is 06:59 EDT in New York (May 20), 11:59 BST in London (May 20), 16:29 IST in India (May 20) and 20:59 AEST in Sydney (May 20).
Which night should I look at the Flower Moon?
The evening of May 20 is the night of the full moon in the US, the UK, India and Australia. The moon also looks full on the evening before and after, rising in the east around sunset.
Is the May 2027 full moon a blue moon?
Yes, by the seasonal definition. The Flower Moon of May 20, 2027 is the third of four full moons between the March equinox and the June solstice, and the older almanac rule calls the third of four in one season a blue moon. It is not a monthly blue moon, since no calendar month in 2027 has two full moons, and the moon itself will not look blue.
Why is the May 2027 full moon in Scorpio again?
The April 2027 full moon fell on the first degree of Scorpio, and the Flower Moon of May 2027 falls on the last degree. Each full moon lands a little less than 30 degrees further along the zodiac than the one before, so now and then two in a row fit inside the same sign. With one sign used twice, another is left out: 2027 has no full moon in Cancer.
Where does the name Flower Moon come from?
Flower Moon is the traditional North American name for the May full moon, used in almanac tradition because wildflowers bloom across much of the continent in May. The Flower Moon of 2027 is also known as the Planting Moon, Budding Moon or Milk Moon. These names follow northern seasons, so in the southern hemisphere, where May is late autumn, they describe someone else’s spring.