Full Flower Moon to bloom in night sky during 1st weekend of May
The final full moon of meteorological spring will coincide with a lunar eclipse at the end of the week, although it will pale in comparison to the total lunar eclipse that was visible last May.
The first weekend of May will kick off under bright moonlight with the rise of the Flower Moon. This full moon is named after the spring flowers that emerge from the ground at this time of year.
The end of the week will give way to the rise of a full moon that might not appear quite as bright as a typical full moon in one part of the world. It will also be the final full moon of meteorological spring, which ends as the calendar flips from May to June.
May's full moon is often referred to as the Flower Moon due to the blooming flowers that are plentiful across North America during this time of the year. Springtime happenings also inspire several other nicknames for May's full moon, including the Planting Moon, the Budding Moon and the Egg-Laying Moon.
In this Thursday, May 7, 2020 file photo, the full moon sets behind trees in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
For the third year in a row, May's full moon will also bring a lunar eclipse, although the upcoming eclipse will be underwhelming compared to those in recent years.
Unlike the total lunar eclipses on May 25, 2021, and May 15, 2022, when the moon turned orange and red, the upcoming eclipse will be a penumbral lunar eclipse.
Only part of the moon appears slightly shaded during the height of a penumbral lunar eclipse, a change in brightness so subtle that it can be difficult to notice, even to the trained eye.
The first penumbral eclipse of the moon of 2017 is seen in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudhry)
The upcoming eclipse will not be visible from North America or South America. The only areas of the United States where it will be visible are Hawaii and part of Alaska's sparsely populated Aleutian Islands.
The penumbral lunar eclipse should be visible from most of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, weather permitting.
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The Flower Moon will not be the only astronomical event lighting up the sky on Friday night.
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak Friday night into early Saturday morning, the final meteor shower until July. Unfortunately, since it is reaching its crescendo on the same night as the full moon, onlookers may only be able to count about 10 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.
Experts recommend viewers focus on darker areas of the sky without the moon in sight for the best chance at spotting shooting stars.
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