The next full moon is a flower moon. Why is it called that?
Flowers are a popular Mother's Day gift, but what about a flower moon for the day after Mother's Day?
The full moon on May 12, is also called a "flower moon" or "micromoon."
This full moon might appear a bit smaller than usual because it is a 'micromoon,' which is an apogee full moon.
An apogee full moon, according to livescience.com, occurs because our planet's satellite orbits the earth along a path that creates points when the moon is either closest to the Earth or furthest away. The furthest away point is known as apogee.
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During an apogee moon, the natural satellite will be approximately 251,828 miles away from the Earth compared to the average distance of 238,855 miles.
The full moon on May 12 is also called the flower moon because of the abundance of flowers that bloom in the spring.
This moon has many other names, but the Center for Native American Studies says that the Great Lakes region calls it the 'sucker moon' after the sucker fish.
The flower moon will first appear in the east on May 12 during dusk and will set at dawn.
According to the National Weather Service, Erie is looking at a mostly sunny day on May 12 followed by a mostly cloudy night with temperatures ranging from the mid 60s to low 70s. The projected sunset time Monday in Erie is 8:32 p.m. with twilight ending at 9:03 p.m.
The next full moon will set on June 11 and will be a strawberry moon and will be the final full moon of spring.
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A strawberry moon is the name given to a full moon that occurs in June. It was named by Native Americans for the strawberry harvest season which traditionally peaks in June.
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at nsorensen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Why the full moon on May 12 is known as the flower moon.
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