Following is the dates for every full Moon throughout the year of 2023, and learn about lunar phases, ‘supermoons’ and more.
When is full moon in May 2023?
The next full moon will be on Friday, May 5. Known as the “flower moon,” it will reach its peak illumination at 1:36 p.m. ET.
WHEN IS THE FULL MOON? CALENDAR DATES FOR 2023
This is when full moons will occur in 2023, according to NASA:
| Date | Name | U.S. Eastern Time | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 6 | Wolf Moon | 6:08 p.m. | 23:08 |
| February 5 | Snow Moon | 1:29 p.m. | 18:29 |
| March 7 | Worm Moon | 7:40 a.m. | 12:40 |
| April 6 | Pink Moon | 12:34 a.m. | 04:34 |
| May 5 | Flower Moon | 1:34 p.m. | 17:34 |
| June 3 | Strawberry Moon | 11:42 p.m. | 03:42 on June 4 |
| July 3 | Buck Moon | 7:39 a.m. | 11:39 |
| August 1 | Sturgeon Moon | 2:31 p.m. | 18:31 |
| August 30 | Blue Moon | 9:35 p.m. | 01:35 Aug. 31 |
| September 29 | Harvest Moon | 5:57 a.m. | 09:57 |
| October 28 | Hunter’s Moon | 4:24 p.m. | 20:24 |
| November 27 | Beaver Moon | 4:16 a.m. | 09:16 |
| December 26 | Cold Moon | 10:33 p.m. | 03:33 GMT on Dec. 27 |
What is a full Moon?
A full Moon occurs when the Moon appears in the sky as a complete circle. The entire side of the Moon facing Earth is illuminated by the Sun’s rays, causing it to appear as a full sphere.
We can only see portions of the Moon that are illuminated by other objects because the Moon produces no visible light of its own.
A small amount of light comes from distant stars and Earthshine, the reflection of light from the Earth. However, the Sun is the primary source of light for the Moon.
The Moon appears as various shapes in the sky depending on its “phase,” from new Moon to full Moon via “waxing” and “waning” moons. These phases are determined by the Sun, Earth, and Moon’s relative positions.
If the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun in its orbit, the side facing the Earth is dark and the opposite side is illuminated. This is known as the new Moon.
Full Moon occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun.
How often does a full Moon occur?
A full Moon happens roughly every 29.5 days. This is the length of time it takes for the Moon to go through one whole lunar phase cycle.
Is there a full Moon every month?
The phases of the Moon and the months of the year are inextricably linked; in fact, the word’month’ derives from the word’moon’.
Originally, a month was defined as either 29 or 30 days, roughly corresponding to the 29.5-day lunar cycle. However, some of our calendar months were subsequently padded with additional days so that the year would contain 365 days.
Due to the fact that our modern calendar is not perfectly in sync with the Moon’s phases, we sometimes experience multiple full Moons per month. This is referred to as a blue moon.
Why is there a full Moon in the middle of the day?
There are times in the table where the full moon occurs during the middle of the day. How is it possible?
While it is not uncommon to see the Moon during the day, it may seem strange to consider a full Moon occurring during the day. Nonetheless, there is a simple explanation.
This occurs because the time indicates the precise instant when the Sun and Moon are aligned on opposite sides of the Earth. This can occur at any time of day or night and is known as the’syzygy’ of the Sun-Earth-Moon system.
The Moon will appear full either the night before or the night after the precise ‘full Moon’ moment.
What is a Supermoon?
The distance between the Moon and the Earth varies because the Earth is not at the exact center of the Moon’s orbit and because the Moon’s orbit is not circular.
A lunar perigee is the moment when the Moon is closest to the Earth.
When the Moon is at its greatest distance from Earth, it is known as the lunar apogee.
When the lunar perigee occurs in close proximity to a full Moon, we observe a Supermoon. When a lunar apogee occurs in close proximity to a full Moon, we observe a Micromoon.
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