The moon shines over the Temple of Poseidon in Greece.
(Image credit: Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
May's full Blue Moon put on a dazzling display over the weekend, flooding the night sky with moonlight as the red supergiant star Antares glowed nearby.A Blue Moon is the name given to the second full moon in a single calendar month — a rare occurrence that only takes place about once every 2.5 years, because the moon's 29.5-day cycle doesn't neatly align with the calendar. It's also the name given to the third full moon in a single season containing four full moons — though this original meaning doesn't apply for the May 31 lunar event.The May 2026 Blue Moon was also the smallest full moon of the year — known as a micromoon — having turned full at a distant point in its elliptical orbit of Earth. As a result, it appeared subtly smaller in Earth's sky as it tracked across the sky, but still shone bright enough to throw a veil of moonlight over all but the brightest nearby stars.Read on to see a selection of gorgeous photos of the May 2026 Blue Moon.May 2026 Full Blue Moon in photosOur first shot was captured by photographer Gary Hershorn, who snapped an atmospheric shot of the near-full moon as it took flight between the steel legs of the Eiffel Tower, while soccer fans celebrated the victory of Paris Saint-Germain over Arsenal in the Champions League Final on May 30.
