Flower Moon to light up night sky today, know significance, timing, other details

The skies tonight will light up with an extraordinary shine as May's full moon, also known as the Flower Moon, will shine its brightest on Monday. In the past few days, night sky observers must have noticed the moon shining more brightly than normal days and tonight a full Flower Moon will bloom in the sky making the sight surreal. May’s full moon is also known as the ‘Budding Moon’ and the ‘Seed Moon’. This year the Flower Moon will be located at the farthest point from Earth. This is the reason that the Moon will look around 14 per cent smaller and 30 per cent fainter than an average full moon. According to NASA, the moon will be around 4 lakh km away from Earth as compared to its distance of about 2.4 lakh km in normal scenario. 

Significance 

The phenomenon of the Flower Moon occurs when the Moon is exactly opposite to Earth from the Sun. At such a position, the side of the moon facing earth is brightly radiated from the sunlight. The name ‘flower’ is because of its coinciding with the blooming season of wildflowers in the Northern Hemisphere which are at their peak at this time in May. 

 May 9, 2025

This natural phenomenon occurs every year in May, observing which, the Algonquin people, an Indigenous community in North America, named it so. May is the month when a variety of flowers bloom especially in the Northern Hemisphere like Azaleas, tulips and other flowers in Japan. Flowers bloom during spring season, from March to May, in the Northern Hemisphere and so one can enjoy the peak blooming season in May. The full moon blooms like a flower in May which gives it a vibrant name.  

Flower Moon timing 

The Flower Moon will shine brightest as it will reach its peak at 10:20 pm IST on May 12. However, apart from its peak time as well, the moon can be viewed as it still stays very bright from Sunday night to Tuesday early morning. During sunset in the southeast, on Monday, the moon will appear low and so its view will be unobstructed. When it passes above the horizon, the moon will turn more orange or golden due to atmospheric scattering. It will be at its zenith in the sky after 12:00 am.  

How to watch Flower Moon? 

To watch the Full Moon, one has to look in the eastern direction. What is special about this moon is that it can be seen clearly with the naked eye. However, with binoculars and a telescope one can get a better view of the craters and other smaller features on the moon’s surface.