Full Moon in May

By Alexander Merz · Updated on 28 August 2026 · Details checked on 14 September 2026

Here you will find the exact date of the full moon in May – with the time for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the traditional name of the month’s full moon and the dates for the coming years.

And if you want to see the Moon closer than with the naked eye: our buying guide for beginners explains which telescope makes sense to start with, what budget to plan for and which classic mistakes to avoid.

How the May full moon sits in the sky

In May the full moon already stands quite low. It rises late and stays in the lower half of the sky all night.

Flower Moon – where the name comes from

The Flower Moon stands for the month in which the blossom reaches its peak. The old German name Winnemond is often rendered as Wonnemond, the ‘moon of bliss’, but in fact goes back to the Old High German wunnimanoth – the pasture month, when the cattle were driven out to graze again.

Almost all the full moon names in common use today come from North America and were popularised by US almanacs. German-speaking Europe had its own names for the months: May was called Winnemond or Wonnemond. Both traditions mean the same thing – an attempt to tie the course of the year to what is actually happening outdoors.

What else is going on in the May sky

At the beginning of May the Eta Aquariids are running, fragments of Halley’s Comet. The nights become noticeably shorter and brighter – twilight hardly seems to end at all.

Full moon in May: the dates for the coming years

The interval from one full moon to the next averages 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes. Because our calendar months are longer, the date moves forward year by year – which is why the full moon in May never falls on the same date. All the coming dates are listed in the full moon calendar, and our page about the Moon explains how the phases come about.

The dates that are actually worth it are often months apart – and easily forgotten. So you do not miss one:

Observing the full moon – an honest note

As beautiful as the full moon is to the naked eye, in a telescope it is at its least interesting in exactly this phase. Because the Sun shines straight down onto the lunar surface, the shadows are missing and craters look flat. You see considerably more a few days before or after full moon along the day-night boundary, the so-called terminator.

If you do want to look at the full moon through a telescope, you should use a moon filter – without one it is uncomfortably glaring. For 1.25-inch eyepieces the Apertura 1.25" Moon Filter*Omegon Premium Moon Filter 1.25″* is all you need (at $14.95€ 19.90) – spending more buys you nothing here. More on this in our buying guide to moon observation.

Getting more out of the telescope you already have: eyepiece set: Omegon Eyepiece Starter Kit

Eyepieces, filters and a Barlow in one case: everything to round out your telescope at once, cheaply.

Price: € 89

View at Astroshop* →

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