Although full moons occur roughly every 29 days, a flower moon is a once-yearly spectacle that has been spiritually associated with growth, new opportunities and fresh beginnings. It’s been a very exciting time for stargazing and celestial events lately – last week we saw the annual Lyrid meteor shower litter the skies, and this week, a brilliant full flower moon is set to take place.
Here, we take a look at when the 2026 full flower moon will be visible – plus how to spot it in the sky this spring.
When is the 2026 full flower moon?
This year’s full flower moon will occur on Friday 1 May. According to the Royal Observatory, the best time to observe it will be 18.23pm in the UK.
It coincides with both May Day and a cross-quarter day (halfway between March’s equinox and the summer solstice in June.)
How to observe the flower moon this week
May’s flower moon should be visible with the naked eye. Simply look in a south-eastern direction.
According to the weather forecast for Friday, conditions should be relatively clear, with temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius in London and 15 degrees Celsius in Edinburgh. There will be patches of rain across the Midlands, but there doesn’t appear to be much cloud coverage that evening.
What is a flower moon?
Essentially, the flower moon in May is like most other full moons, but gets its name from the spring blossoms so abundant this time of year. It is sometimes also referred to as the hare moon, the corn planting moon or even the milk moon.
When is the next full moon?
After the flower moon, the next full moon will be on Sunday, 31 May and will be what is referred to as a blue moon, which, despite the saying “once in a blue moon”, occurs fairly regularly. Typically, it happens every two or three years and is named as such, not because of its colour, but because that’s the name bestowed upon it by the Algonquin people.
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