Full moon calendar 2026-2027: dates, times and names

Checked on 10 October 2026 (after 15:50 UT): the next full moon is the Hunter's Moon, on 26 October 2026 at 04:12 UT. That is 04:12 GMT in London, 12:12 a.m. EDT on 26 October in New York, 9:12 p.m. PDT on 25 October in Los Angeles and 3:12 p.m. AEDT on 26 October in Sydney. The Moon looks full on the evenings of both 25 and 26 October.

After that come the Beaver Moon on 24 November and the Cold Moon on 24 December 2026, the closest full moon of the year. By one common rule, both are supermoons, and so is the Wolf Moon of 22 January 2027.

A full moon happens at one moment, the same for everyone; your local clock and date depend on your time zone. Below are all full moons of 2026 and 2027 with times for New York, London and Sydney, their traditional names, supermoons, Blue Moons and lunar eclipses.

Next full moon: the Hunter's Moon, 26 October 2026

The Hunter's Moon is the full moon after the Harvest Moon. In 2026 the Harvest Moon was on 26 September, the full moon closest to the September equinox (23 September), so the October full moon is the Hunter's Moon.

A full moon rises around sunset, opposite the Sun. These are the approximate sunset and moonrise times we calculated (local time, for the city centre at sea level with a flat horizon; hills and buildings can delay the moment you actually see it):

At moonrise on 25 and 26 October the Moon will be more than 98 percent lit in all five cities, so it will look full on both evenings. On 26 October the Moon is about 369,000 km away: closer than most full moons of 2026, but not close enough to count as a supermoon by the rule we use.

Our Tonight page shows when the Moon is above the horizon where you are.

Full moon calendar 2026

All 13 full moons of 2026. 2026 has 13 because May has two (the second is a Blue Moon). Times are from the US Naval Observatory; local times include summer time where it applies.

\* Supermoon by Richard Nolle's 90% rule, explained below.

Why the date can differ: the February full moon (1 February, 22:09 UT) falls on 2 February in Sydney, and the June full moon (29 June, 23:56 UT) on 30 June in London. Check the column for your time zone.

Full moon calendar 2027

All 12 full moons of 2027.

\* Supermoon by Richard Nolle's 90% rule.

In 2027 the Harvest Moon is on 15 September (London: 16 September), the full moon closest to the September equinox on 23 September, and the Hunter's Moon on 15 October.

Full moon names and where they come from

The names in our tables follow the list of the Old Farmer's Almanac, which says many of them come from Native American, Colonial American and other traditional North American sources. The Almanac adds that the Wolf Moon is thought to have English origins rather than being a traditional Native American name.

Two names follow the equinox rather than the month. The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the September equinox; the Almanac notes that in most years it falls in September and about every three years in October. The Hunter's Moon is the full moon after it. In a year when the Harvest Moon falls in October, the September full moon is called the Corn Moon.

These names belong to North American seasons. In the Southern Hemisphere, where October is spring, they do not match the weather.

How much later do the Harvest and Hunter's Moons rise each evening?

Usually the Moon rises quite a bit later each evening. Around the Harvest and Hunter's Moons, seen from northern places, it rises only a little later from one evening to the next, so there are several bright evenings in a row with the Moon up soon after sunset.

We calculated the moonrise times around every full moon of 2026. Averaged over the days around each full moon:

• London: our calculated average delay is about 12 minutes around September's Harvest Moon and about 20 minutes around October's Hunter's Moon, against about 87 minutes around the February full moon.
• New York: about 23 minutes (Harvest Moon) and 33 minutes (Hunter's Moon), against 74 minutes in February.
• Sydney: the opposite: about 65 minutes around the Harvest Moon and 70 around the Hunter's Moon, and only 26 to 27 minutes around the March and April full moons, the autumn full moons of the Southern Hemisphere.

What's the difference between a Hunter's Moon and a Harvest Moon? Only the order: the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the September equinox, the Hunter's Moon the one after it. They look the same.

Supermoons in 2026 and 2027

The Moon's distance from Earth changes during each orbit. At the full moons of 2026 and 2027 it ranges from about 356,700 km (24 December 2026) to about 406,100 km (31 May 2026).

"Supermoon" has no official definition. The term was coined by the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, and Wikipedia notes that there is no official or even consistent definition of how close the full moon must be. We used Nolle's rule, worked out per calendar year. The Moon's perigee is the closest point of its orbit and its apogee the farthest. We count a full moon as a supermoon when its distance is within the closest 10 percent of that year's distance range, measured between the year's closest perigee and farthest apogee. That gives:

The threshold was 361,618 km in 2026 and 362,205 km in 2027. The full moon of 3 January 2026 (362,301 km) just missed it; other websites with a looser rule may count it.

How much bigger does a supermoon look? Wikipedia gives about 14 percent wider and about 30 percent brighter (citing Space.com and NASA), but that compares a full moon at its very closest with one at its very farthest. A supermoon compared with an ordinary full moon differs less. Our supermoon guide compares the different supermoon rules and lists, with viewing times and size comparisons.

Blue Moons: 31 May 2026 and 20 May 2027

The Old Farmer's Almanac gives two definitions:

• Monthly Blue Moon: the second full moon in a calendar month. In 2026 that is 31 May (08:45 UT), after the full moon of 1 May. In all five cities we checked, both fall in May local time. There is no monthly Blue Moon in 2027. The next monthly Blue Moon on the UT calendar is 31 December 2028 (16:48 UT), also a Blue Moon in New York, Los Angeles and London. In Tokyo and Sydney that full moon falls on 1 January 2029, so it is not a monthly Blue Moon there.
• Seasonal Blue Moon: the third of four full moons in one astronomical season. Between the March equinox (20 March) and the June solstice (21 June) of 2027, spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern, there are four: 22 March, 20 April, 20 May and 19 June (UT dates), so 20 May 2027 is a seasonal Blue Moon.

A Blue Moon does not look blue; the name is only about the calendar.

Lunar eclipses in 2026 and 2027

A lunar eclipse always happens at full moon, when the Moon moves through Earth's shadow. NASA's eclipse list gives five for these two years. The times are the moment of greatest eclipse, not the exact full moon, in TD (Terrestrial Dynamical Time, about a minute ahead of UT):

During a total lunar eclipse, NASA says, Earth's shadow can turn the Moon a striking red; that is why the media often call it a "blood moon". A penumbral eclipse only dims the Moon slightly and is hard to notice. NASA notes that lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye. The next total solar eclipse is a different event: see our guide to the eclipse of 2 August 2027.

How to see the full moon

• Look east around sunset. A full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, because it is opposite the Sun.
• Watch the moonrise. Low over the horizon, the Moon often looks orange, as in the NASA photos in this article.
• The evening before can work too. At moonrise on 25 and 26 October 2026, around the Hunter's Moon, the Moon will be more than 98 percent lit in all five cities we checked.
• No equipment needed. Binoculars show the dark "seas" and bright craters well, but your eyes are enough.

A bright full moon also washes out faint stars and meteors. That matters for meteor showers: our meteor shower calendar lists the Moon for each shower. For moonrise and moonset in your town tonight, see our Tonight page.

Full moon FAQ

On which date is the next full moon? Checked on 10 October 2026: 26 October 2026 at 04:12 UT, the Hunter's Moon. In Los Angeles that is 25 October at 9:12 p.m. PDT; in New York 26 October at 12:12 a.m. EDT.

What day is the full moon in October? 26 October 2026 (04:12 UT). In Los Angeles that is 9:12 p.m. PDT on 25 October.

What is the December full moon? The Cold Moon, on 24 December 2026 at 01:28 UT (23 December, 8:28 p.m. EST in New York). It is the closest full moon of 2026 and a supermoon by Nolle's rule.

What is the full moon called on March 3, 2026? The Worm Moon, the traditional name for the March full moon in the Old Farmer's Almanac list.

Is March 3, 2026 a blood moon? Yes, in the popular sense: there was a total lunar eclipse that day (greatest eclipse 11:34:52 TD, NASA), visible from east Asia, Australia, the Pacific and the Americas. During a total lunar eclipse the Moon can turn red.

Is March 15th a full moon? Not in 2026: the full moons were on 3 March and 2 April. In 2027 the March full moon is on 22 March.

What day is the Buck Moon in 2026? 29 July 2026, at 14:36 UT. In 2027 it is on 18 July.

What's the difference between a Hunter's Moon and a Harvest Moon? The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the September equinox; the Hunter's Moon is the next one.

Why is the October full moon special? In 2026 it is the Hunter's Moon. Seen from northern places, the Moon rises only a little later on the evenings around it: about 20 minutes in London, compared with up to 87 minutes earlier in the year.

When is the next Blue Moon? The last monthly Blue Moon was on 31 May 2026. The next seasonal Blue Moon is 20 May 2027. The next monthly one is 31 December 2028 on the UT calendar (also in New York, Los Angeles and London); in Tokyo and Sydney that full moon falls on 1 January 2029 and is not a Blue Moon there.

When is the next supermoon? By Nolle's rule, 24 November 2026, followed by 24 December 2026 and 22 January 2027. Other lists differ slightly; see our supermoon guide.

When is the next new moon? Checked on 10 October 2026, after that day's new moon at 15:50 UT: the next new moon is on 9 November 2026 at 07:02 UT, then 9 December 2026 at 00:52 UT (US Naval Observatory).

How long does a full moon last? The exact full moon is one moment. Around it the Moon stays almost fully lit: at moonrise on 25 and 26 October 2026 it will be more than 98 percent lit in all five cities we checked.

How we checked

The full moon and new moon times come from the US Naval Observatory's moon phase data for 2026 to 2028, in UT. We checked every full moon of 2026 and 2027 with the Astronomy Engine library; the times agreed within 78 seconds. Local times use the official time zone rules for New York, London and Sydney (and Los Angeles and Tokyo for moonrise), including summer time.

With Astronomy Engine we also calculated the distance to the Moon at each full moon (centre to centre), the perigees and apogees, sunset and moonrise times, how much later the Moon rises each evening, and the equinoxes and solstices for the Harvest Moon and the seasonal Blue Moon. The supermoon list applies Richard Nolle's 90 percent rule per calendar year (a full moon no farther than the year's closest perigee plus 10 percent of the range between that perigee and the year's farthest apogee); other rules give slightly different lists.

For sunset and moonrise we used these places, at sea level, with a standard refraction of 34 arcminutes and a flat horizon; a rise time is when the top edge appears.

The names follow the Old Farmer's Almanac. The lunar eclipses come from NASA's eclipse list for 2021 to 2030 (calculations by Fred Espenak); the red colour from NASA's page on eclipse types and the naked-eye safety from NASA's skywatching page. The supermoon background and size and brightness figures come from Wikipedia's Supermoon article.

Written and checked by Marvin Smit, who runs Orbit & Wonder; see our editorial standards. The charts and the method diagram are our own. The photos are from NASA's image library (public domain); we resized them and cropped the cover. None of the images is AI-generated.