The Moon in May 2027
In May 2027 the Moon goes through four main phases: new moon on May 6, first quarter on May 13, full moon on May 20 and last quarter on May 28. The full moon, traditionally called the Flower Moon, comes on Thursday, May 20 at 6:59 AM ET (10:59 AM UTC). The new moon falls on Thursday, May 6 at 6:59 AM ET.
On May 1 the Moon is a waning crescent, 29% lit. By May 31 it is a waning crescent, 17% lit. All times on this page are Eastern Time (New York), rounded to the minute, with UTC alongside. The live tool at the top uses your own time zone.
| Phase | Date | Time (ET) | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| New moon | Thursday, May 6 | 6:59 AM | May 6, 10:59 AM |
| First quarter | Thursday, May 13 | 12:44 AM | May 13, 4:44 AM |
| Full moon | Thursday, May 20 | 6:59 AM | May 20, 10:59 AM |
| Last quarter | Friday, May 28 | 9:58 AM | May 28, 1:58 PM |
May 2027 moon calendar, day by day
Phase and lit share at noon in New York, the Moon’s direction in the sky, then moonrise and moonset in New York. “None” means the Moon does not rise (or set) that calendar day.
| Day | Phase | Lit | Moon | Rise | Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, May 1 | Waning Crescent | 24% | Ascending | 3:20 AM | 3:00 PM |
| Sun, May 2 | Waning Crescent | 16% | Ascending | 3:41 AM | 4:03 PM |
| Mon, May 3 | Waning Crescent | 9% | Ascending | 4:03 AM | 5:09 PM |
| Tue, May 4 | Waning Crescent | 4% | Ascending | 4:27 AM | 6:18 PM |
| Wed, May 5 | Waning Crescent | 1% | Ascending | 4:54 AM | 7:30 PM |
| Thu, May 6 | New moon | 0% | Ascending | 5:27 AM | 8:45 PM |
| Fri, May 7 | Waxing Crescent | 2% | Ascending | 6:07 AM | 9:59 PM |
| Sat, May 8 | Waxing Crescent | 7% | Ascending | 6:59 AM | 11:07 PM |
| Sun, May 9 | Waxing Crescent | 14% | Descending | 8:02 AM | none |
| Mon, May 10 | Waxing Crescent | 22% | Descending | 9:14 AM | 12:04 AM |
| Tue, May 11 | Waxing Crescent | 33% | Descending | 10:30 AM | 12:51 AM |
| Wed, May 12 | Waxing Crescent | 44% | Descending | 11:45 AM | 1:28 AM |
| Thu, May 13 | First quarter | 55% | Descending | 12:59 PM | 1:59 AM |
| Fri, May 14 | Waxing Gibbous | 66% | Descending | 2:10 PM | 2:26 AM |
| Sat, May 15 | Waxing Gibbous | 76% | Descending | 3:20 PM | 2:50 AM |
| Sun, May 16 | Waxing Gibbous | 85% | Descending | 4:28 PM | 3:13 AM |
| Mon, May 17 | Waxing Gibbous | 92% | Descending | 5:37 PM | 3:37 AM |
| Tue, May 18 | Waxing Gibbous | 96% | Descending | 6:45 PM | 4:04 AM |
| Wed, May 19 | Waxing Gibbous | 99% | Descending | 7:53 PM | 4:35 AM |
| Thu, May 20 | Full moon | 100% | Descending | 8:57 PM | 5:11 AM |
| Fri, May 21 | Waning Gibbous | 98% | Descending | 9:56 PM | 5:54 AM |
| Sat, May 22 | Waning Gibbous | 95% | Ascending | 10:47 PM | 6:44 AM |
| Sun, May 23 | Waning Gibbous | 90% | Ascending | 11:30 PM | 7:40 AM |
| Mon, May 24 | Waning Gibbous | 84% | Ascending | none | 8:40 AM |
| Tue, May 25 | Waning Gibbous | 76% | Ascending | 12:05 AM | 9:42 AM |
| Wed, May 26 | Waning Gibbous | 68% | Ascending | 12:34 AM | 10:44 AM |
| Thu, May 27 | Waning Gibbous | 59% | Ascending | 12:59 AM | 11:45 AM |
| Fri, May 28 | Last quarter | 49% | Ascending | 1:22 AM | 12:46 PM |
| Sat, May 29 | Waning Crescent | 40% | Ascending | 1:43 AM | 1:48 PM |
| Sun, May 30 | Waning Crescent | 30% | Ascending | 2:04 AM | 2:51 PM |
| Mon, May 31 | Waning Crescent | 21% | Ascending | 2:27 AM | 3:57 PM |
Distance and height in the sky
The Moon is closest to Earth (perigee) on May 9, at 366,629 km. It is farthest (apogee) on May 25, at 404,804 km.
The month starts with a rising Moon. It reaches its highest path on May 8 (declination 27.2° north) and then descends. It reaches its lowest path on May 22 (27.2° south) and starts to ascend again. A high declination means the Moon rides high in the sky and stays up longer, as seen from the United States.
A seasonal blue moon
The full moon of May 20 is the third of four full moons between the March equinox and the June solstice. Under the older almanac rule, that makes it a blue moon.
Why it is called the Flower Moon
The name comes from the almanac tradition of the northeastern United States: flowers bloom everywhere in May. These names were popularized in the 1930s by the Maine Farmers’ Almanac, which presented them as Native American names.
Next: the following month. Before: the previous month. See all the full moons of 2027, or sunrise and sunset times for any city.