16.0 days old
98.2 percent lit
May 16, 2019
By Gordon Johnston
The next full Moon (click here) will be on Saturday afternoon, May 18, 2019, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 5:11 PM EDT. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Friday evening through Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend.
As the third full Moon in a season that has four full Moons, this will be a Blue Moon by the older definition. The Moon will not actually appear blue in color. The first recorded use of the term in English dates from 1528. Speculations on the origin of the term include an old English phrase that means "betrayer Moon" or a reference to rare events, such as when dust in the atmosphere makes the Moon actually appear blue. Since the 1940's the term "Blue Moon" has also been used for the second full Moon in a month that has two full Moons....
