When is the next full moon in 2025? Here's how to see May's Flower Moon - and how it got its name

May's full moon is known as the Flower Moon. | Canva/Getty Images

It's a sight that has inspired myths, superstitions and awe through the centuries - when the night sky is lit up by the seemingly-perfect glowing sphere of a full moon.

We experience one full moon every month, with each on given a different evocative name.

Here's how to see the next one of 2025 - the pretty-sounding Flower Moon.

What is a full moon?

A full moon is when moon appears as a complete circle in the sky. The moon produces no light of its own, so this only happens when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun - meaning the whole of the near side of the moon is fully lit up.

When is the Flower Moon in 2025?

The next full moon or ‘Flower Moon’ will reach its peak on Monday, May 12, at 5.56pm. This time only applies to the UK as when the full moon rises and sets depends on where you are on the planet. Don’t worry that it’s still light when it reaches its peak - it’ll still appear full over the entire night.

What is it called a Flower Moon?

The Flower Moon was so-called by Native Americans due to May being the time when flowers started to bloom in the warmer weather. For a similar reason, the May full moon is also known as the Budding Moon and the Seed Moon.

Why do full moons have different names?

Full moon names are often attributed to Native American tribes that would give full moons nicknames to keep track of them as they didn’t record time using months found in the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Most of the names were linked to a specific event, for example the Worm Moon relates to a time of year when the ground starts to thaw and worms are able to wriggle up to the surface.

Other moons like the blood moon were thought to be caused by Jaguars who attacked the moon and left it bleeding hence the red colour. These lunar systems and their names differed between tribes but it seems Colonial Americans adopted some of these names and incorporated them into their own calendar systems.

When are the other full moons of 2025?

Here’s a full list of the other full moons still to come in 2025 - and their names:

June 11 - ‘Strawberry Moon’

July 10 - ‘Buck Moon’

August 9 - ‘Sturgeon Moon’

September 7 - ‘Harvest Moon’

October 7 - ‘Hunter’s Moon’ (also a Supermoon)

November 5 - ‘Beaver Moon’ (also a Supermoon)

December 4 - ‘Cold Moon’ (also a Supermoon)