First Quarter
- Rise
- 11:43 AM
- Set
- 1:47 AM
Moon Phases May 2028 in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Daily moon phases, illumination, moonrise and moonset for Madison, in local time (America/Chicago). Next full moon: Flower Moon on Monday, May 8.
Madison · Monday, May 1, 2028 Today
First Quarter
- Illumination
- 45.7%
- Moon age
- 6.9 days
- Distance
- 372,087 km
- Moonrise
- 11:43 AM
- Moonset
- 1:47 AM
- Highest
- 7:07 PM
First Quarter at 9:25 PM. Next: First Quarter on Mon, May 1 at 9:25 PM. Flower Moon in 7 days.
At first quarter the Moon has completed a quarter of its orbit, and exactly half of the visible disc is lit: the right half in the northern hemisphere, the left in the southern.
Click any day in the calendar or pick a date above to see its details here.
May 2028 calendar
Waxing Gibbous
57%
- Rise
- 12:58 PM
- Set
- 2:18 AM
Waxing Gibbous
68%
- Rise
- 2:14 PM
- Set
- 2:46 AM
Waxing Gibbous
78%
- Rise
- 3:29 PM
- Set
- 3:11 AM
Waxing Gibbous
87%
- Rise
- 4:45 PM
- Set
- 3:36 AM
Waxing Gibbous
94%
- Rise
- 6:01 PM
- Set
- 4:02 AM
Waxing Gibbous
98%
- Rise
- 7:18 PM
- Set
- 4:31 AM
Flower Moon
- Rise
- 8:34 PM
- Set
- 5:04 AM
Waning Gibbous
99%
- Rise
- 9:45 PM
- Set
- 5:44 AM
Waning Gibbous
96%
- Rise
- 10:47 PM
- Set
- 6:32 AM
Waning Gibbous
90%
- Rise
- 11:39 PM
- Set
- 7:29 AM
Waning Gibbous
83%
- Rise
- —
- Set
- 8:31 AM
Waning Gibbous
75%
- Rise
- 12:20 AM
- Set
- 9:35 AM
Waning Gibbous
66%
- Rise
- 12:54 AM
- Set
- 10:40 AM
Waning Gibbous
57%
- Rise
- 1:21 AM
- Set
- 11:44 AM
Last Quarter
- Rise
- 1:44 AM
- Set
- 12:46 PM
Waning Crescent
38%
- Rise
- 2:05 AM
- Set
- 1:47 PM
Waning Crescent
29%
- Rise
- 2:25 AM
- Set
- 2:47 PM
Waning Crescent
21%
- Rise
- 2:45 AM
- Set
- 3:49 PM
Waning Crescent
14%
- Rise
- 3:06 AM
- Set
- 4:52 PM
Waning Crescent
8%
- Rise
- 3:29 AM
- Set
- 5:58 PM
Waning Crescent
3%
- Rise
- 3:57 AM
- Set
- 7:06 PM
Waning Crescent
1%
- Rise
- 4:31 AM
- Set
- 8:13 PM
New Moon
- Rise
- 5:13 AM
- Set
- 9:18 PM
Waxing Crescent
2%
- Rise
- 6:05 AM
- Set
- 10:17 PM
Waxing Crescent
7%
- Rise
- 7:08 AM
- Set
- 11:06 PM
Waxing Crescent
13%
- Rise
- 8:19 AM
- Set
- 11:47 PM
Waxing Crescent
22%
- Rise
- 9:33 AM
- Set
- —
Waxing Crescent
32%
- Rise
- 10:49 AM
- Set
- 12:21 AM
Waxing Crescent
43%
- Rise
- 12:04 PM
- Set
- 12:50 AM
First Quarter
- Rise
- 1:18 PM
- Set
- 1:15 AM
Times are local to Madison (America/Chicago). A dash means the moon does not rise or set on that date.
Moon phases in May 2028
| Phase | Local date and time | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| First Quarter | Mon, May 1 at 9:25 PM | May 2, 02:25 |
| Full Moon · Flower Moon | Mon, May 8 at 2:48 PM | May 8, 19:48 |
| Last Quarter | Tue, May 16 at 5:43 AM | May 16, 10:43 |
| New Moon | Wed, May 24 at 3:16 AM | May 24, 08:16 |
| First Quarter | Wed, May 31 at 2:36 AM | May 31, 07:36 |
About the First Quarter
At first quarter the Moon has completed a quarter of its orbit, and exactly half of the visible disc is lit: the right half in the northern hemisphere, the left in the southern. It rises around midday, is highest at sunset and sets around midnight, which makes it the most convenient phase for evening observing.
Along the terminator, the line between light and dark, the low Sun casts long shadows that make craters and mountains stand out sharply in binoculars.
Lore and folklore
Half moons stood for balance and decision in many traditions: half light, half dark. Farmers' almanacs treated the first quarter as a strong growing time, good for planting crops that bear seed inside the fruit, such as beans, peppers and tomatoes.
Weather lore held that a sharp, clear half moon foretold fine weather, while a blurred one meant rain.
Trivia
- The name is about the orbit, not the appearance: a quarter of the way around, half of the face lit.
- The straight-looking terminator is a great circle seen edge-on.
- At first quarter the Moon is about 90 degrees east of the Sun, which is why it is high overhead as the Sun goes down.
- The Apollo landing sites are easiest to study near the terminator, when shadows reveal the terrain.
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 2028
- May 1 · 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 2 to May 8 · 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 9 to May 15 · Root crops: Plant root crops and anything that overwinters: carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. Prune to slow growth.
- May 16 to May 23 · 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 24 to May 30 · 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 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 Madison 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.
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.