A rare sight for stargazers will be available this weekend when a “Blue Moon” will appear on May 31, 2026.
Although its title is Blue, the Moon will not actually appear blue. This is a term that concerns the timing and not the colour and can referred to a second full Moon within the same calendar month.
In May 2026, there are two full Moons. The first was May 1, the second will be at 4:45 a.m. ET on May 31.
This is called a “calendar Blue Moon,” because the moon takes about 29.5 days to orbit the earth, which means that in some months, there are two full moons.
There is another definition for a Blue Moon.
The “seasonal Blue Moon” refers to the third full Moon in a season that has four full Moons.
The next seasonal Blue Moon will fall in May 2027. This blue moon does not fit the above definition, as the event is not related to seasons but a month.
The previous calendar Blue Moon was on 30 August 2023, and the next one is due for December 2028.
This particular Blue Moon will also be a so called “micromoon” where the Moon is at its maximum distance in its orbit around the Earth.
It will be slightly smaller than usual.
The Moon will be brightest at 8:45 UTC, with the best time to observe it is the night of May 30 or early on the morning of May 31, depending on your location.
This is a rare event as Blue Moons have only occurred around once every two and a half years.
Also read: Two rare full moons to occur in the same month in May 2026
