Waxing Gibbous
79%
- Rise
- 3:02 PM
- Set
- 1:43 AM
Moon Phases May 2023 in Sydney, New South Wales
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Daily moon phases, illumination, moonrise and moonset for Sydney, in local time (Australia/Sydney). Next full moon: Flower Moon on Saturday, May 6.
Sydney · Monday, May 1, 2023 Today
Waxing Gibbous
- Illumination
- 78.8%
- Moon age
- 10.9 days
- Distance
- 399,510 km
- Moonrise
- 3:02 PM
- Moonset
- 1:43 AM
- Highest
- 8:47 PM
at . Next: Full Moon on Sat, May 6 at 3:34 AM. Flower Moon in 5 days.
Between first quarter and full moon the Moon is waxing gibbous: more than half lit and growing each night. It rises in the afternoon, dominates the evening sky and sets after midnight.
Click any day in the calendar or pick a date above to see its details here.
May 2023 calendar
Waxing Gibbous
86%
- Rise
- 3:27 PM
- Set
- 2:41 AM
Waxing Gibbous
92%
- Rise
- 3:52 PM
- Set
- 3:39 AM
Waxing Gibbous
97%
- Rise
- 4:19 PM
- Set
- 4:38 AM
Waxing Gibbous
100%
- Rise
- 4:48 PM
- Set
- 5:41 AM
Flower Moon
- Rise
- 5:23 PM
- Set
- 6:46 AM
Waning Gibbous
98%
- Rise
- 6:04 PM
- Set
- 7:55 AM
Waning Gibbous
93%
- Rise
- 6:53 PM
- Set
- 9:05 AM
Waning Gibbous
86%
- Rise
- 7:52 PM
- Set
- 10:12 AM
Waning Gibbous
78%
- Rise
- 8:59 PM
- Set
- 11:14 AM
Waning Gibbous
67%
- Rise
- 10:10 PM
- Set
- 12:07 PM
Waning Gibbous
56%
- Rise
- 11:21 PM
- Set
- 12:51 PM
Last Quarter
- Rise
- —
- Set
- 1:29 PM
Waning Crescent
33%
- Rise
- 12:31 AM
- Set
- 2:01 PM
Waning Crescent
23%
- Rise
- 1:39 AM
- Set
- 2:31 PM
Waning Crescent
14%
- Rise
- 2:45 AM
- Set
- 2:59 PM
Waning Crescent
8%
- Rise
- 3:50 AM
- Set
- 3:28 PM
Waning Crescent
3%
- Rise
- 4:55 AM
- Set
- 3:58 PM
Waning Crescent
0%
- Rise
- 6:00 AM
- Set
- 4:32 PM
New Moon
- Rise
- 7:06 AM
- Set
- 5:10 PM
Waxing Crescent
2%
- Rise
- 8:10 AM
- Set
- 5:54 PM
Waxing Crescent
6%
- Rise
- 9:10 AM
- Set
- 6:44 PM
Waxing Crescent
12%
- Rise
- 10:04 AM
- Set
- 7:39 PM
Waxing Crescent
19%
- Rise
- 10:52 AM
- Set
- 8:37 PM
Waxing Crescent
27%
- Rise
- 11:32 AM
- Set
- 9:36 PM
Waxing Crescent
36%
- Rise
- 12:06 PM
- Set
- 10:34 PM
Waxing Crescent
45%
- Rise
- 12:36 PM
- Set
- 11:32 PM
First Quarter
- Rise
- 1:03 PM
- Set
- —
Waxing Gibbous
64%
- Rise
- 1:28 PM
- Set
- 12:29 AM
Waxing Gibbous
73%
- Rise
- 1:53 PM
- Set
- 1:26 AM
Waxing Gibbous
81%
- Rise
- 2:18 PM
- Set
- 2:24 AM
Times are local to Sydney (Australia/Sydney). A dash means the moon does not rise or set on that date.
Moon phases in May 2023
| Phase | Local date and time | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Full Moon · Flower Moon | Sat, May 6 at 3:34 AM | May 5, 17:34 |
| Last Quarter | Sat, May 13 at 12:28 AM | May 12, 14:28 |
| New Moon | Sat, May 20 at 1:53 AM | May 19, 15:53 |
| First Quarter | Sun, May 28 at 1:22 AM | May 27, 15:22 |
About the Waxing Gibbous
Between first quarter and full moon the Moon is waxing gibbous: more than half lit and growing each night. It rises in the afternoon, dominates the evening sky and sets after midnight.
Its brightness climbs quickly during this phase, from about a tenth of full-moon brightness at first quarter to full within a week, because the Moon's rough surface reflects most strongly when the Sun is directly behind the observer.
Lore and folklore
The swelling moon was traditionally a time of increase: livestock fattened, crops filled out, and anything meant to grow was tended now. In some traditions it was the best time to gather herbs, when their vigour was thought to peak.
Gibbous comes from the Latin for hump-backed, a plain description of the bulging shape.
Trivia
- The Moon's brightness is not proportional to the lit area; a half moon is only about a tenth as bright as a full moon.
- The waxing gibbous is the phase most often noticed in daytime, high in the afternoon sky.
- Around this phase the bright crater rays, streaks of ejected rock, become obvious to the naked eye.
- The gibbous Moon rises later each day by anything from 30 to 70 minutes depending on the season.
Select any day in the calendar to read about its phase.
This month's full moon: the Flower Moon
May is when flowers are abundant across much of the northern hemisphere, and the full moon carries their name.
The Corn Planting Moon and Milk Moon are other traditional names. In Buddhist countries the May full moon is Vesak, marking the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha.
Lore
May's abundance of blossom gave the moon its name, and in Buddhist countries this is the moon of Vesak, celebrating the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. European lore called it the Milk Moon, when cows first went out to fresh pasture and milk flowed freely.
Trivia
- The Flower Moon is the first full moon of meteorological summer in the northern hemisphere.
- In 2026 it falls on May 1, leaving room for a second full moon, a Blue Moon, on May 31.
- Vesak is fixed to this full moon, so its date moves each year like Easter.
Gardening by the Moon in May 2023
- May 1 to May 5 · Fruiting crops: Sow above-ground crops whose seeds form inside the fruit: beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons. Graft, repot and sow lawns.
- May 6 to May 12 · Root crops: Plant root crops and anything that overwinters: carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. Prune to slow growth.
- May 13 to May 19 · Rest and tend: Rest days for the soil: weed, cultivate, turn compost, harvest crops for storage, prune to discourage regrowth, prepare beds. Avoid sowing.
- May 20 to May 27 · Leafy crops: Sow leafy crops and above-ground annuals whose seeds form outside the fruit: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, celery, herbs. Transplant seedlings. Mow to encourage growth.
- May 28 to May 31 · Fruiting crops: Sow above-ground crops whose seeds form inside the fruit: beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons. Graft, repot and sow lawns.
Full planting calendar for May › · How gardening by the moon works
How to read this moon calendar
Each day shows the Moon as it looks from Sydney at midday local time, with the illuminated percentage, moonrise and moonset. Days with a principal phase show the exact local time the phase occurs. Because the Moon moves about 50 minutes later each day, roughly once a month there is a date with no moonrise or no moonset at all.
From the southern hemisphere the Moon appears flipped: a waxing moon is lit on the left. The icons on this page follow that view.
The eight phases of the Moon
New Moon
The Moon sits between Earth and the Sun. Its lit side faces away from us, so it is invisible in the night sky. A new lunar month begins.
Waxing Crescent
A thin sliver grows each evening after sunset. Look low in the west shortly after dusk.
First Quarter
Half the disc is lit. The Moon rises around midday and sets around midnight, so it is high in the sky at sunset.
Waxing Gibbous
More than half lit and growing. It rises in the afternoon and shines most of the night.
Full Moon
The whole face is lit. It rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. Each full moon carries a traditional name.
Waning Gibbous
The lit portion shrinks. It rises after sunset and is still up in the morning sky.
Last Quarter
Half lit again, on the opposite side. It rises around midnight and is best seen in the early morning.
Waning Crescent
A thinning sliver before dawn in the east, fading toward the next new moon.