Full moon alert: May's Flower 'micromoon' will look extra small tonight, with a rare Blue Moon following

May's first full moon, known as the Flower Moon, will be 100% illuminated at 1:24 p.m. EDT Friday (May 1). Although that moment occurs during daylight hours for North America, the moon will appear full at night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.As always, the most striking time to watch the full moon will be as it rises in the east. This month, that happens during dusk on May Day — which marks the halfway point between March's spring equinox and June's summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere — when it rises shortly after sunset.This Flower Moon is this year's first micromoon, meaning it occurs when the moon is near apogee — its farthest point from Earth in its slightly elliptical orbit. The moon will be about 250,000 miles (402,000 kilometers) from Earth — around 5% farther away than average. As a result, it will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than usual. The difference is subtle, but it contrasts with the larger, brighter supermoons seen when the moon is closer to Earth. This year's supermoon season begins in November, with a particularly large supermoon on tap for Christmas Eve.Despite appearing relatively small, the Flower Moon will still look large when viewed