The « flower moon » has this special feature

The full moon used to play an important role in many areas of life. In the case of sowing, farmers were based on the moon phases – a practice that is still used in the lunar calendar today to determine the ideal time for different activities. Each full moon a year therefore bears its own name. But what makes the Mai full moon so special?

When is the full moon in May 2025?

In May the Full moon His climax on Monday, May 12th, at 6:56 p.m. CEST. For the mere eye, however, it also appears completely round on May 11th and 13th. According to the astronomy app Starwalk At this point the moon is in the Libra constellation. If you want to watch it with a telescope or binoculars, you shouldn’t wait until the full moon. Starwalk Instead, recommends the quarter phase, since the moon is then less light and more details of its surface become visible due to the shadow formation.

Incidentally, there is a special feature in May: the moon is further away from the earth than usual – not at its most remote point, but close to it. So it appears loud Starwalk « 5 percent smaller and 10 percent darker than an average full moon ». The full moon in May 2025 is therefore a so -called micromond.

Moon names: Why is the full moon in May called « flower moon »?

In Germany, the full moon in May is also called Wonnemond. According to Duden, the term is derived from the Old High German « Wunnimānōd » or « Winnimānōd », which means « pasture month ». In May, the farmers mostly drove their animals on the pastures. However, the origin cannot be confirmed exactly. Later, « Winne » (pasture) was reinterpreted to « Wunnia » (bliss), which is why May is still called bliss month. The meaning originally has nothing to do with gonne in today’s meaning.

The flower moon is one of the world’s most common moon names for the full moon in May. Loud National Geographic If this is due to the numerous flowers that bloom in May. The historical US magazine Farmers Almanac reports that the North American Algonkin tribes also called the May Fille Moon « Flower Moon ». In the southeast of the United States, the indigenous people titled the full moon with « Maulbeer-Mond » because of the ripening period of the red mulberries. Other indigenous peoples called the May full mode « Moon of the Green Leaves ». These names reflect the close connection between the indigenous peoples to nature and helped them to determine the annual cycle and important events such as harvest times. Also other full moon names, such as the Lenzmond Or the « Pink moon“Can be attributed to regional natural phenomena.