May's full 'Flower Moon' rises tonight as a micromoon. Here's what that means, and how to watch.

Tonight (Monday, May 12), May's full moon, known as the Flower Moon, will appear in the east during dusk, will shine all night, and will set in the west as dawn appears. The moon will also appear bright and full on Tuesday (May 13).

However, the next full moon may look a tiny bit smaller than average. That's because it will be a "micromoon," the opposite of a "supermoon."

The technical term for a "micromoon" is an apogee full moon.

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An apogee full moon occurs because our planet's satellite orbits Earth along a slightly elliptical path, creating points when the moon is either closest to Earth (perigee) or farthest (apogee). The latter point this month almost coincides with a full moon. On Monday, our natural satellite will be 251,828 miles (405,278 kilometers) away instead of the average 238,855 miles (384,400 km), according to AstroPixels.

The moon will officially be 100% full at 12:56 p.m. EDT, when the sun is still bright overheard, but will be best observed during dusk later that day. To best view our celestial companion, check the moonrise and moonset times for your location and be in a place with a low view of the eastern horizon. The full moon will appear large on the horizon thanks to the moon illusion — a trick of visual perception that scientists don't fully understand. As the moon rises or falls, it will also look orange because of Rayleigh scattering.

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May's full moon, named for the flowers that bloom in spring, has plenty of other names. The Anishinaabe, or Ojibwe, of the Great Lakes region call it the Sucker Moon, according to the Center for Native American Studies.

Meanwhile, the Anglo-Saxon name, the Milk Moon, comes from the fact that people tend to milk cows three times a day in May, according to Timeanddate.com. Other names include Mothers' Moon, Bright Moon, Hare Moon and Grass Moon.

The next full moon will be the Strawberry Moon, which appears on Wednesday, June 11, though it will be best seen as it rises during dusk on Tuesday, July 10. It will be the final full moon of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere, occurring just 11 days before the summer solstice on Saturday, June 21.

Editor's note: This article was updated on May 12 to indicate the full moon rises tonight.

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