What time to see the Flower Moon tonight in Arizona

May's full moon will be smaller in the sky than normal. Here’s how it's unique and what time to see it.

May 12, 2025

Image: May's full moon will appear to be slightly smaller.

May's full moon will appear to be slightly smaller. Matthew Hunt/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

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When May’s full moon blooms on Monday evening, May 12, it’ll come with a twist. Nicknamed the Flower Moon, this one will also appear to be a little bit smaller than usual.

Don’t panic, skywatchers. As with most cosmic quirks, there’s a perfectly reasonable scientific explanation.

This full moon is called a micromoon, which occurs a couple of times a year when the moon is full and at its farthest point from the Earth. And while it's not as visually impressive as a supermoon, it's still a cool astronomical event.

Here’s when to catch the Flower Moon tonight where to look in the sky and how it got its floral nickname.

Is there a full moon tonight?

The May 2025 full moon will occur on Monday evening.

Why is May’s full moon unique?

The May 2025 full moon is also considered to be a micromoon and will appear to be smaller and dimmer than normal.

What time is the full moon in Arizona?

The full moon will rise at 7:47 p.m. on Monday night, according to the website Time and Date. It will reach its highest point in the sky at 12:06 a.m. on early Tuesday morning before setting at 5:45 a.m.

Where will the Flower Moon be visible?

The full moon will rise in the eastern/southeastern sky and then gradually move to the southern sky as the evening goes on.

click to enlarge

A photo of the full moon over Tucson in spring 2023.

Lorie Shaull/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

What is a micromoon?

A micromoon occurs when the moon is at apogee — or its farthest point from Earth — so it will appear to be slightly smaller and dimmer than usual. It’s the opposite of a supermoon and happens a couple of times per year.

How much smaller is May’s full moon?

The Time and Date website states that the May 2025 full moon will be approximately 6% to 7% smaller than normal.

Why is the May full moon called a Flower Moon?

May’s full moon gets its name because it shows up right when everything — especially flowers — is blooming like crazy. The moniker originates from the Algonquin and Ojibwe peoples and was later popularized by the Farmers' Almanac. (Fun fact: it also goes by other plant-based nicknames, like the Corn Moon or Planting Moon.)

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music and nightlife. He joined New Times in 2003. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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