Here's how you can sight the upcoming 'Flower Moon' in the UAE this week

Mark your calendars for May 22…

Celestial fiends – an exciting lunar event is set to take place very soon, and it’s a stunning advent of the global spring season.

This year, in the UAE, May’s full moon, the ‘Flower Moon’, will appear in the sky on May 22, and will dazzle spectators across the country with its exceptional brightness and larger-than-normal size, so that no telescopes or binoculars will be required to observe it.

While the shift in brightness and size may not be too big, it’s still going to be a spectacular sight. Experts have explained that on the nights of May 22 and 23, the moon will find position in the constellation of Leo, and will rise high in the sky, around sunset, staying at high altitude until it sets at around 2am in the next morning.

This path across the night sky, and the moon being visible for most of the night is what will make it special. This period of rise is apparently the best time for photographs and capturing the beauty of the moon.

Residents who wish to take pictures and save the moment are advised to find high vantage points for the best view and do so while the moon is on the rise. Climb high, away from the obstructions, for the best shots.

Why is it called a ‘Flower Moon’?

The ‘Flower Moon’ is called as such because the sighting of it coincides with the start of the spring season in many parts of the world, and as flowers bloom, so does this full moon.

While the reference to flowers comes from blooming season in the world, the moon has also been called the Planting Moon, the Milk Moon and the Hare Moon.

Giving the moon different names according to the cycle of seasons is an age-old practice from Native American and Colonial American traditions. The name of the moon has long historical roots and was originally used by the Algonquin people of eastern Canada. When the early European settlers came, the name was picked up in North America, too.

@dubaiastronomygroup

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