Celebration of Space - May 29, 2026
The Blue Moon of August 31, 2012 at Frosty Drew Observatory. Frosty Drew Astronomy Team member, Scott MacNeill, captured this image during the annual Rhythm and Roots music festival in Ninigret Park.
This coming Sunday, May 31, 2026 at 4:47 am ET, the Moon will once again arrive on the opposite side of Earth than the Sun. This is the full Moon. On this date the Moon will rise with the setting Sun and set with the rising Sun, keeping the Moon above the horizon for the entire nighttime period. Since the Moon is on the opposite side of Earth than the Sun, the side of the Moon that we see will be in direct sunlight with the other side being in full darkness. Certainly not a night for observing dark sky conditions but, for those with a thing for the Moon, the entire night offers up viewing opportunities.
Sunday’s full Moon will be the second full lunar phase occurring this May, the first full Moon happened on May 1st. Adhering to modern definitions, this occurrence classifies Sunday’s full Moon as a Blue Moon. The original definition states that the third full lunar phase, in a season with four full lunar phases, will be the Blue Moon. Though an article was published in the mid-20th Century that classified the second full lunar phase in the same month to be the Blue Moon. Adhering to the original definition, Sunday’s full Moon would not be considered a Blue Moon because there are only three full lunar phases in spring 2026. Regardless of what you consider a Blue Moon, one thing is certain – the Moon will not appear blue in color, and any photos you may see of a blue colored Moon are falsely colored.
To catch sight of the Full Blue Moon of May all you need to do is look up Sunday night / Monday morning. We think the best time to see the full Moon is when it is rising. This is because during the Moon rise is when you can observe the Moon illusion, which is when the Moon appears to be very large on the horizon. You can also observe Rayleigh Scattering, which is when the blue light reflecting off the Moon is scattered in Earth’s atmosphere, making the view of the Moon a bit more red than when the Moon is higher in the sky. So set out for a location with a very low view of the SE horizon, and be there for 9:00 pm Sunday night.
Over the next two weeks Earth-bound sky watchers will get to observe Jupiter and Venus quickly approaching each other with each passing night. The best time to catch a view will be on June 8th and 9th when Jupiter and Venus will appear about 1.5º apart in the twilight sky. This is a conjunction, where two or more objects appear to be interacting in the sky, even though they are actually very far from each other. To catch a view you will want to step outside about 30 minutes after sunset and look to the west. Venus will be the more northward object and will appear much brighter. Even with the peak of the conjunction happening the second week of June, you can still see Jupiter and Venus getting close in the night sky starting now. So make it a daily occurrence on clear(er) nights to step outside and see the progression of this conjunction.
