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Flower Micromoon Opens Rare Two-Full-Moon May

Moonlight will trim Eta Aquarid counts next week for most casual skywatchers.

Overview

  • The Flower Moon, which peaked Friday at 1:23 p.m. ET, appeared as a micromoon that looked slightly smaller and dimmer at evening moonrise.
  • The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks overnight May 5–6 from Halley’s Comet debris, but a bright waning moon will wash out many faint streaks with the best views before dawn in dark areas.
  • May 31 brings a Blue Moon, the month’s second full moon, expected to be the smallest full moon of 2026 and reaching peak fullness at 4:45 a.m. ET.
  • A slim crescent Moon will sit near Venus after sunset on May 18, creating an easy naked-eye pairing low in the western sky.
  • A Blue Moon means a second full moon in one calendar month, and a micromoon happens near apogee so the disk looks about 6% to 7% smaller and roughly 10% dimmer than average.