Blue Moon 2019 – How to see the full moon of May

Beware, aspiring astronomers: you will not want to miss another full moon this month.

We have already seen a handful of awesome lunar events this year: Super Blood Wolf Moon in January, Super Snow Moon in February, Super Worm Moon in March and Full Pink Moon in April: all astronomers were observing the sky. Now, May will continue the series with a full moon, otherwise known as a seasonal blue moon.

Here's what you need to know if you want to see it yourself.

Where does the name Full Flower Blue Moon come from?

A blue moon rarely appears blue in the sky and its name actually has little to do with its color.

Usually, the full moon takes place once a month. Sometimes, about every three years or so, a month will take two full moons. This phenomenon is what we call a calendar Blue Moon. But this is not the case in May, which brings us to the alternative definition of Blue Moon. According to Farmer's Almanaceach of the four seasons usually contains three full moons. However, sometimes a season will have four. When this happens, the third the full moon of this season is called a seasonal blue moon.

In addition, the full moon of each month receives a name based on what is happening during this time of year. As the flowers usually bloom in May, the full moon is also called full moon.

When can you see the full Blue Moon flower?

The moon of May's flowers is officially full on Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 5:11 pm ET. Your best chance of catching it is late at night, when the sun has set and the moon will still be high in the sky.