Topline<\/p>\n
Although the Blue Moon officially becomes full in the early hours of Sunday, May 31, the key moment is moonrise just after sunset on Saturday, May 30, when it slowly lifts into the eastern sky. That\u2019s when it looks its most dramatic \u2014 larger than usual and tinted orange. This is the second full moon in a single calendar month, a simple quirk of timing rather than color, but it creates one of the most visually rewarding naked eye sights in the night sky. <\/p>\n
The best views of the full Blue Moon will come when it rises \u2014 low, large and glowing orange \u2014 just after sunset on Saturday, May 30. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin\/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
The Blue Moon will be officially full at 4:45 a.m. EDT on Sunday, May 31, but the best viewing will be at moonrise on Saturday, May 30.<\/p>\n
Check the moonrise time for your exact location<\/a> on Saturday, May 3. In New York, moonrise is at 8:14 p.m. EDT (five minutes before sunset) and in Los Angeles it\u2019s at 7:55 p.m. PDT (three minutes before sunset) \u2014 right at the beginning of \u201cblue hour,\u201d when a full moon rising into fading daylight provides dramatic contrast.<\/p>\n Look east shortly after sunset to catch the moon climbing into the sky. As it rises, you may see Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, below.<\/p>\n What Is A \u2018blue Moon?\u2019<\/p>\n It\u2019s called a Blue Moon because it\u2019s the second full moon in the same calendar month, the first being the full Flower Moon on May 1. The moon takes 29.5 days to orbit Earth and return to the same position in the night sky, causing two full moons in the same month roughly every 2.5 years. The next monthly Blue Moon, like this one, will take place on Dec. 31, 2028.<\/p>\n Why The \u2018blue Moon\u2019 Looks Golden<\/p>\n A Blue Moon has nothing to do with color. When a full moon rises, it typically glows orange or deep amber. That\u2019s because its light must travel through a thicker layer of atmosphere near the horizon. Earth\u2019s atmosphere scatters shorter blue wavelengths more efficiently, allowing warmer red and orange tones to dominate \u2014 the same effect that produces vivid sunsets.<\/p>\n The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium<\/a>.<\/p>\n Further ReadingForbesIn Photos: Full \u2018Flower Moon\u2019 Lights Up Night Sky Around The WorldBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesWhat Is That Bright Star In The West After Sunset?By Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesIt\u2019s 100 Days Until A Total Solar Eclipse. Here\u2019s How To See ItBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline Although the Blue Moon officially becomes full in the early hours of Sunday, May 31, the key…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":832264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[24],"tags":[51717,340699,341371,341373,341372,336156,159,783,310717,67,132,68,290730],"class_list":["post-832263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-blue-moon","tag-blue-moon-may-2026","tag-full-moon-may-31-exact-time","tag-full-moon-what-time","tag-moonrise-times-blue-moon","tag-night-sky-this-weekend","tag-science","tag-space","tag-stargazing-may-2026","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-when-is-full-moon"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116663386558428723","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/832264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}