Full Moon May 2027: the Flower Moon on 20 May
The Flower Moon is on .
194 days, 4 hours and 18 minutes until the exact phase.
Distance and flags
- Distance from Earth
- 393,893 km
- Size against the average distance
- smaller by 2.4% across the sky
- Next year
Moonrise in London on Thu 20 May
- Moonrise
- 21:42
- Rises towards
- south-east · 134°
- Moonset
- 04:20
The disc looks full on the nights either side of the exact time, and a full Moon rises near sunset. Moonrise and moonset for other places and dates.
What the Flower Moon means
Flower Moon is one of the most direct seasonal labels: it connects May's full Moon with the flush of northern spring flowering. Milk Moon and Bright Moon appear in other English-language traditions.
Shorter nights keep the May full Moon lower in the UK sky than its winter counterparts.
Watching it from the UK. Choose a clear southern horizon and watch how the low lunar path changes the colour and apparent size near moonrise. A low Moon can look larger or warmer because of perspective and the atmosphere, not because its phase changed.
Moon names come from almanac traditions and differ between sources; the seasons are northern-hemisphere ones. NASA's Moon phase guide.
Full Moon May dates, 2027–2029
| Year | Date and time · Europe/London | Name | Distance | Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Flower Moon | 393,893 km | All phases | |
| 2028 | Flower Moon | 372,903 km | All phases | |
| 2029 | Flower Moon | 364,254 km | — |
Other names for the May full Moon
- Popular almanac
- Flower Moon
- Old English
- Thrimilce Moon
- Celtic revival
- Bright Moon