Story perspectives

May 2026: Flower Moon, Blue Moon, Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower

4/25/2026

Summary

U.S. Two Moons

The U.S. will see two full moons in May 2026: a Flower Moon on May 1 and a Blue Moon on May 31.
The Flower Moon reaches full phase at 1:23 p.m. ET on May 1, 2026.
The Blue Moon peaks at 4:45 a.m. ET on May 31, 2026 and is 14 % smaller.
NASA says 2026 will have 13 full moons instead of twelve.
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower runs through May 21, peaks May 5-6, and can produce 50 meteors per hour.

Summary

Full Moon Refresh

The series will be refreshed several times weekly with new moonrise and moonset times and a full-year list of traditional Full Moon names.
April’s Full Moon occurred on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Traditional Full Moon names, compiled over centuries, mainly derive from Native American, Colonial American or other North American traditions and reflect seasonal shifts.
A comparative table of 2020-2021 monthly Full Moon names is included, credited to Soumyadeep Mukherjee.

Summary

Venus Conjuncts

Venus will conjunct Jupiter on June 9 2026, creating a bright evening alignment after sunset.
Mercury reaches superior conjunction on May 14 2026 and reappears ten days later beside Venus and Jupiter, though its closeness to the Sun makes it hard to spot.
In May, daylight gains 58 minutes in Chicago (14 h 2 min), 30 minutes in Miami (13 h 8 min), and 147 minutes in Anchorage (16 h 15 min).

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U.S. Two Moons

The U.S. will see two full moons in May 2026: a Flower Moon on May 1 and a Blue Moon on May 31.
The Flower Moon reaches full phase at 1:23 p.m. ET on May 1, 2026.
The Blue Moon peaks at 4:45 a.m. ET on May 31, 2026 and is 14 % smaller.
NASA says 2026 will have 13 full moons instead of twelve.
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower runs through May 21, peaks May 5-6, and can produce 50 meteors per hour.

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