Full Moon

Full Moon: Next Full Moon, Dates & Names

A full moon occurs when the Moon sits opposite the Sun in the sky, with the side facing Earth almost entirely lit. It happens about every 29.5 days, but the date, time, and best evening to see it depend on where you are.

Our calendar adjusts the next full moon for your time zone and points you toward the moonrise likely to offer the best view. We’ll also let you know when it’s a supermoon, blue moon, or lunar eclipse.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon is the Harvest Moon. It reaches its full phase on September 26 at 12:49 p.m. EDT, or September 26 at 9:49 a.m. PDT. The fact sheet above shows the date and time where you are.

There’s no need to catch that exact minute. The Moon will still look full on the surrounding evenings, and the better view may come at the moonrise before or after it.

Full moons in 2026

Most years have 12 full moons, though some have 13. The table uses your time zone, so your local date may differ from the one shown in Eastern or Pacific time.

For every lunar phase, see our 2026 Moon calendar. You can also look ahead to the 2027 Moon calendar.

Full moon names

The names commonly used in North American almanacs describe seasonal weather, plants, animals, and traditional activities. They come from a mixture of Indigenous, colonial, and European sources rather than one shared calendar.

January — Wolf Moon: Associated with wolves heard howling during winter.
February — Snow Moon: Named for the snowy conditions common in late winter.
March — Worm Moon: Connected with the spring thaw and the return of seasonal activity.
April — Pink Moon: Named for pink wildflowers that bloom in early spring.
May — Flower Moon: Reflects the abundance of flowers later in spring.
June — Strawberry Moon: Associated with the brief strawberry harvest season.
July — Buck Moon: Refers to the period when bucks grow new antlers.
August — Sturgeon Moon: Named for a fish that was seasonally important around the Great Lakes.
September or October — Harvest Moon: The full moon closest to the September equinox.
October — Hunter’s Moon: Traditionally associated with the autumn hunt and preparations for winter.
November — Beaver Moon: Connected with beavers preparing for winter and the historical beaver hunt.
December — Cold Moon: A straightforward reference to the arrival of winter cold.

Special full moons

There are three other full-moon names you might have heard: supermoon, blue moon, and blood moon. They can overlap with the monthly names, so a Harvest Moon might also be a supermoon or blood moon.

Supermoon: A full moon that occurs near the closest part of the Moon’s orbit around Earth. It can appear subtly larger and brighter than average.
Blue Moon: An additional full moon in a calendar month or season. Despite the name, it normally looks like any other full moon.
Blood Moon: The red or copper Moon seen during a total lunar eclipse, when filtered sunlight reaches the Moon through Earth’s atmosphere.

What is a full moon?

The Moon doesn’t make its own light; it reflects sunlight. NASA’s phase guide shows how the amount of its bright side that we can see changes as it travels around Earth.

At full moon, the Moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. Its sunlit half faces us, creating the bright circle we see midway through the Moon’s phase cycle.

How long does a full moon last?

Technically, a full moon lasts only an instant. To the eye, however, the Moon usually looks full on the night before and after that moment.

The exact moment of the full moon can even fall during daylight where you live. Moon phases are based on the Moon’s position, not whether you can see it from a particular place.

How often is there a full moon?

A full moon occurs about once every 29.5 days, or roughly once a month. Most years have 12 full moons, though some have 13 because the lunar cycle doesn’t line up neatly with our calendar.

That extra full moon may be called a blue moon, depending on where it falls within a month or season. February can occasionally have no full moon at all because the month is shorter than one complete lunar cycle.

How to see the full moon

A full moon generally rises around sunset, climbs highest toward the middle of the night, and sets close to sunrise. The exact times and direction, however, vary with your location and the date.

To view a full moon, start with the moonrise shown in the viewing card and find a clear view of that part of the horizon. Hills, trees, buildings, and clouds can delay the moment when the Moon first becomes visible.

You don’t need a telescope, although binoculars can bring the Moon’s darker plains and bright crater rays into view. Sunlight falls more directly across the surface at full moon, so other phases show craters and mountains with stronger shadows.

Why does the full moon look so large near the horizon?

A rising Moon can look enormous beside trees, buildings, or distant hills, but it isn’t actually much larger. This is the Moon illusion, caused by the way our brains judge its size near the horizon.

Its color, however, really can change near the horizon. The longer path through Earth’s atmosphere scatters more blue light, often leaving the rising Moon yellow, orange, or red.

Does the full moon affect tides or sleep?

The full moon has measurable physical effects, but the evidence isn’t equally strong for every claim associated with it.

Ocean tides: Established. At full and new moon, the Sun and Moon combine to produce the larger tidal ranges known as spring tides. Local coastlines and water depth still determine the actual height and timing.
Human sleep: Still being studied. Some research has found modest differences around the full moon, including shorter sleep and less deep sleep, while other studies have found little or no effect.
Unusual behavior: No reliable link. In one study, lunar phase explained almost none of the variation in psychiatric hospital admissions.

The clearest conclusion is a narrow one: the Sun and Moon affect ocean tides, while claims about direct effects on human mood or behavior remain unproven.