A Full Flower Moon shines in the sky tonight from sunset to sunrise.
Full Moon occurs at 12:56 P.M. EDT this afternoon. May’s Full Moon is also called the Flower Moon and because our satellite is still near apogee, it will appear some 29’ across, slightly smaller than the Full Moon’s average size (about 31’) in the sky.
The Full Moon rises roughly opposite the Sun, so Luna will emerge above the southwestern horizon shortly after sunset this evening. Our satellite is now in the constellation Libra, shining brightly just west (to the upper right as they rise) of the prominent claw of Scorpius the Scorpion. The Moon will pass close to the Scorpion’s heart, Antares, in just two days’ time.
Observing deep-sky objects during the Full Moon is challenging, but bright objects on the opposite side of the sky may still be reachable. Over in the west, Mars is still in central Cancer, so take a look at the Red Planet tonight, now nearly 4° east of the Beehive Cluster (M44), which it passed close by earlier this month. Mars shines at 1st magnitude, making it the brightest light in Cancer. M44, which can be visible to the naked eye under dark conditions, will likely be washed out by the light of the Moon and require binoculars or a telescope to enjoy this evening.
Other bright stars nearby that should be visible to the naked eye include magnitude 0.4 Procyon, below Cancer as this region sets, and Castor (magnitude 1.6) and Pollux (magnitude 1.2) in Gemini, to Mars’ lower right. To the far fight of Castor and Pollux is magnitude 0.1 Capella, the luminary of the large constellation Auriga.
Sunrise: 5:48 A.M.
Sunset: 8:06 P.M.
Moonrise: 8:35 P.M.
Moonset: 5:22 A.M.
Moon Phase: Full
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
