What a full moon is
A full moon is the moment the Moon is opposite the Sun, as seen from the Earth, so the whole face turned toward us is lit. It comes every 29.5 days on average, the length of a lunar month, which is why most years have twelve full moons and some have thirteen. The moment is the same everywhere on Earth; only the clock time changes, which is why this page gives every time in your own time zone and why a full moon can fall on different dates in different countries.
The full moon names
The names used in the United States come from North American tradition, one for each month: the Wolf Moon in January, the Snow Moon in February, the Worm Moon in March, the Pink Moon in April, the Flower Moon in May, the Strawberry Moon in June, the Buck Moon in July, the Sturgeon Moon in August, the Corn Moon in September, the Hunter's Moon in October, the Beaver Moon in November and the Cold Moon in December.
Two names move with the season. The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the September equinox, which in 2026 is the one on September 26; the Hunter's Moon is the next, on October 26. When the Harvest Moon falls in October, as it did in 2025, the October full moon takes that name and November's becomes the Hunter's Moon.
Blue Moons, supermoons and micromoons
A Blue Moon is a second full moon in one calendar month. It happens about every two and a half to three years, and in 2026 it falls on May 31, with the first full moon of May on May 1. There is none in 2027.
A supermoon is a full moon near the closest point of the Moon's orbit, so it looks slightly bigger and brighter than usual. By the definition most often quoted (within 10% of the orbit's closest approach), 2026 has three: January 3, November 24 and December 23. The December full moon is the closest of the year, at 356,729 km. The opposite, a micromoon, is a full moon near the farthest point: the Blue Moon of May 31, at 406,126 km, is the smallest full moon of 2026.
Lunar eclipses
A lunar eclipse can only happen at a full moon, when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. The full moon of March 3, 2026 is a total lunar eclipse, and the one on August 28, 2026 a partial eclipse. In 2027 three full moons brush the edge of the shadow in penumbral eclipses: February 20, July 18 and August 17. A lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere the Moon is above the horizon at the time.
The full moon in astrology
Astrologers read the full moon as a culmination: the point in the monthly cycle when what began at the new moon comes to light, feelings run high and it is time to finish or let go. Its sign colors the reading. The full moon always falls in the sign opposite the Sun, so a full moon in Aries, in late September or October, is read against the Sun in Libra, with themes of self against partnership. These are readings from tradition, not predictions. Moon sign today follows the Moon through every sign in between.
How the dates are calculated
Every full moon is found from the site's own ephemeris, the same one behind every chart here, and it agrees with the Swiss Ephemeris within two minutes for every new, first-quarter, full and last-quarter moon tested. Distances and eclipses come from the Astronomy Engine library. Month names, Blue Moons and the dates in the text follow US Eastern time; the tables give every moment to the minute in your own time zone.