New Lunar Phase

The New Moon occurred on May 16, 2026, at 20:01 UTC (3:01 PM CT). The New Moon begins the Lunar cycle of the 2026 Blue Moon that occurs on May 31, 2026, at 08:45 GMT. It is called a Blue Moon because it is the second Full Moon in one calendar month.

The 2026 Blue Moon is also the year’s smallest Micromoon. A Micromoon occurs when a Full or New Moon happens near apogee, the point where the Moon is farthest from Earth in its orbit. From this greater distance, the Moon appears slightly smaller and dimmer than usual.

The last blue moon occurred on August 19, 2024, as both a Monthly Blue Moon and a Seasonal Blue Moon as the 4th Full Moon in the same Season. The next Blue Moon is also a Monthly and Seasonal Blue Moon, occurring on May 20, 2027.

A Breath from the Heart of Sky

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 10/21/2024

NASA’s Parker Probe

CME TARGETS VENUS AND THE PARKER PROBE: The sun just hurled a CME straight toward Venus. According to a NASA model (above), it struck the planet during the early hours of Oct. 21st and, at the same time, engulfed NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. Why are the two so close together? The spacecraft is plunging toward Venus for a flyby on Nov. 6th that will bend its orbit toward the sun for a record-breaking close approach on Christmas Eve. Full story.

What is Parker Solar Probe?

A scientific mission to unlock the mysteries of the Sun’s corona and solar wind
A spacecraft that uses breakthrough technology and autonomy to endure heat and radiation like no other mission
A unique solar observatory that will orbit within 4 million miles of our star’s surface to directly study the formation of the solar wind
A mission named for Dr. Eugene Parker, the scientist who theorized the existence of the solar wind

(Source: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe)

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