You all (must by now) know that I love photographing the (almost) full moon rising over Spring Creek Basin. This post assumes that you all at least like seeing it, too, because it was AWE*MAAAAAAAAAAAAZING Thursday night (the night before actual fullness), and I have some pix of its awesomeness to share.
How. Insanely. Cool. Is. THAT??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what Google AI has to say about the May “Flower Moon” (technically, these pix were taken Thursday, April 30, the night when sunset and moonrise *almost* very nearly match (maybe they do in some places with less topography difference?)):
In May 2026, there are two full moons, known as a “Blue Moon” scenario. The first, the Full Flower Moon, peaks on Friday, May 1, at 1:23 P.M. EDT. The second, a Blue Moon (and Micromoon), occurs on Sunday, May 31, at 4:45 A.M. EDT.
Key Details for May 2026 Full Moons:
- May 1 – Full Flower Moon: Named for the abundance of flowers in spring. It is also known as the Hare Moon, Corn Planting Moon, or Milk Moon. It represents renewal and growth.
- May 31 – Blue Moon: This is the second full moon in a single calendar month.
- Viewing: According to EarthSky, the moon will appear full both on the morning of May 1 and in the evening of May 1.
- Cultural Significance: In Buddhism, this time commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha. Pagans often associate it with fire rituals and prosperity.
These moons are ideal times for observing, as the Flower Moon marks the height of spring blooming in the Northern Hemisphere.
How cool to have TWO full moons in the month of May!
I am not an app person. And yet, I have *two* apps on my phone that I use to try to plan (guess) where the moon will rise from any given location at any given phase: PhotoPills and Sun Surveyor. Also, I am NOT a mathematician, an astronomer, a physicist or a PhD candidate in any known subject involving any of the aforementioned subjects. I’ve poked around with both apps, watched YouTube videos and seen numerous fabulous shots where the users claim to have pinpointed the exact moonrise/set and/or sunrise/set using one of these apps or any other. Mostly, I like to use the “live view” or “augmented reality” views. … And still, I find them frustratingly INaccurate. That said, they get me semi, sorta, kinda close? And that counts for a lot.
And inevitably, I’m in the wrong location and have to scramble around like the proverbial headless chicken to get into *actual* position while the moon goes from barely visible above the horizon to fully in the sky in about 2.7 seconds. (The deets from my images don’t quite bear that out, but seriously, it’s just about as fast as a pronghorn racing across the range.) The out-of-focus yellow in the near foreground of this pic is a cluster of prince’s plume blooms. I like it, but I think that if you don’t know what it is, it’s sort of random? And notice how the moon is balanced slightly differently on the top of Temple Butte; moving just a little bit back and forth (as I searched for a nice cluster to place in the foreground) can make a big difference – hence my running around like a headless chicken as it was rising.
All week, I’d been mostly skunked in my planning forays by cloud cover – either across most of the sky or JUST along the eastern horizon beyond Temple Butte and McKenna Peak. (And no, those clouds did NOT produce rain over us.) Even an hour before moonrise Thursday, I’d have bet money that I’d be skunked again. Miraculously (pretty sure it was an actual miracle), the clouds cleared – just there! – in time for moonrise. Above, you can see the remnants of clouds, lit up by the nearly-same-time sunset.
The cloudlight didn’t last long.
When the sunlight was nearly gone, Corazon’s band graciously wandered into the frame … and even with a prince’s plume bunch to boot. 🙂
“I love it when a plan comes together.” 🙂 (Thanks to the A-Team’s Col. “Hannibal” Smith!)
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 