Full moon: meaning, dates and names
A full moon is the moment each month when the Moon sits directly opposite the Sun as seen from Earth, so its whole visible face is lit. In astrology and folk tradition it stands for culmination: something begun at the new Moon comes to light, and what is finished can be released.
Full moon dates 2026
13 full moons in 2026, in UTC. Computed from the Moon and Sun positions rather than copied, so each moment is accurate to about a minute.
| Date | Time | Traditional name | Moon in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, 3 Jan 2026 | 10:03 UTC | Wolf Moon | Cancer |
| Sun, 1 Feb 2026 | 22:09 UTC | Snow Moon | Leo |
| Tue, 3 Mar 2026 | 11:38 UTC | Worm Moon | Virgo |
| Thu, 2 Apr 2026 | 02:13 UTC | Pink Moon | Libra |
| Fri, 1 May 2026 | 17:24 UTC | Flower Moon | Scorpio |
| Sun, 31 May 2026 | 08:46 UTC | Blue Moon (second full moon of May) | Sagittarius |
| Mon, 29 Jun 2026 | 23:57 UTC | Strawberry Moon | Capricorn |
| Wed, 29 Jul 2026 | 14:36 UTC | Buck Moon | Aquarius |
| Fri, 28 Aug 2026 | 04:18 UTC | Sturgeon Moon | Pisces |
| Sat, 26 Sept 2026 | 16:49 UTC | Harvest Moon | Aries |
| Mon, 26 Oct 2026 | 04:12 UTC | Hunter's Moon | Taurus |
| Tue, 24 Nov 2026 | 14:54 UTC | Beaver Moon | Gemini |
| Thu, 24 Dec 2026 | 01:28 UTC | Cold Moon | Cancer |
Full moon dates 2027
12 full moons in 2027, in UTC. Computed from the Moon and Sun positions rather than copied, so each moment is accurate to about a minute.
| Date | Time | Traditional name | Moon in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 22 Jan 2027 | 12:17 UTC | Wolf Moon | Leo |
| Sat, 20 Feb 2027 | 23:22 UTC | Snow Moon | Virgo |
| Mon, 22 Mar 2027 | 10:43 UTC | Worm Moon | Libra |
| Tue, 20 Apr 2027 | 22:27 UTC | Pink Moon | Scorpio |
| Thu, 20 May 2027 | 10:59 UTC | Flower Moon | Scorpio |
| Sat, 19 Jun 2027 | 00:45 UTC | Strawberry Moon | Sagittarius |
| Sun, 18 Jul 2027 | 15:45 UTC | Buck Moon | Capricorn |
| Tue, 17 Aug 2027 | 07:29 UTC | Sturgeon Moon | Aquarius |
| Wed, 15 Sept 2027 | 23:03 UTC | Harvest Moon | Pisces |
| Fri, 15 Oct 2027 | 13:47 UTC | Hunter's Moon | Aries |
| Sun, 14 Nov 2027 | 03:26 UTC | Beaver Moon | Taurus |
| Mon, 13 Dec 2027 | 16:09 UTC | Cold Moon | Gemini |
A blue moon is the second full moon in a single calendar month. In these tables that happens on 31 May 2026. The colour has nothing to do with it.
What a full moon means
Astronomically, a full moon is about geometry rather than anything the Moon does. The Moon takes about 29.5 days to circle through its phases, and about halfway through that cycle the Earth lies roughly between the Sun and Moon, so sunlight falls across the entire side that faces us. The Moon rises as the Sun sets, stays up all night, and sets at dawn. The exact full moment is when the Moon's ecliptic longitude is 180 degrees from the Sun's, which is the definition the dates on this page use.
In astrology the full moon is an opposition between the Sun and the Moon: the two lights facing each other across the zodiac. Astrologers read oppositions as tension between two needs, so a full moon is said to highlight a conflict between the sign the Sun is in and the sign opposite, where the Moon sits. That is why each full moon is described by a sign, such as a Moon in Taurus with the Sun in Scorpio, and why readers talk about it as a point of visibility and decision.
Folk traditions have given the full moon a long list of associations: harvest and abundance, fertility, restlessness, sleeplessness, heightened feeling, madness. The English word lunatic carries that last one in its root. These are cultural beliefs with deep history, and they are best read as a record of how people have responded to a bright night light rather than as findings about the Moon.
Does the full moon change how people behave?
Researchers have tested the popular claims. Large studies of births, emergency room visits, crime and psychiatric admissions have mostly found no reliable full-moon effect. A small number of sleep studies have reported that people sleep slightly less around the full moon, but the results are inconsistent and some have not been replicated. The honest summary is that the full moon is a strong cultural symbol, with no solid evidence that it changes how people behave.
The names of the full moons
The familiar twelve names were popularised by the Old Farmer's Almanac, drawing on Native American, colonial and European sources. Different peoples named the moons differently, so treat any single attribution with caution.
Wolf MoonJanuary
Named for the howling of wolves in the depth of winter. The sound carries on cold, still nights, and the name stuck to the first full Moon of the year.
Dates: Sat, 3 Jan 2026; Fri, 22 Jan 2027 (UTC).
Snow MoonFebruary
In much of North America February brings the heaviest snowfall, and the full Moon of that month became the Snow Moon. Some sources also call it the Hunger Moon, for the scarcity of the season.
Dates: Sun, 1 Feb 2026; Sat, 20 Feb 2027 (UTC).
Worm MoonMarch
As the ground thaws, earthworm casts reappear and birds follow them. The name is a sign of spring returning; it is also known as the Crow, Sap or Lenten Moon.
Dates: Tue, 3 Mar 2026; Mon, 22 Mar 2027 (UTC).
Pink MoonApril
Not a colour of the Moon. It is named for the pink wild ground phlox that blooms in early spring in eastern North America.
Dates: Thu, 2 Apr 2026; Tue, 20 Apr 2027 (UTC).
Flower MoonMay
May is the month when flowers come out across the northern hemisphere, and the name follows.
Flower Moon: dates, origin and meaning
Dates: Fri, 1 May 2026; Thu, 20 May 2027 (UTC).
Strawberry MoonJune
The short window in which wild strawberries ripen gave the June full Moon its name. It has nothing to do with the colour, though a low June Moon can look amber.
Dates: Mon, 29 Jun 2026; Sat, 19 Jun 2027 (UTC).
Buck MoonJuly
Male deer grow their antlers through early summer, and July's full Moon took the name. It is sometimes called the Thunder Moon, for the storms of the season.
Dates: Wed, 29 Jul 2026; Sun, 18 Jul 2027 (UTC).
Sturgeon MoonAugust
Fishing tribes around the Great Lakes caught sturgeon most easily in August, and the full Moon of that month is named for the fish.
Sturgeon Moon: dates, origin and meaning
Dates: Fri, 28 Aug 2026; Tue, 17 Aug 2027 (UTC).
Corn MoonSeptember, when it is not the Harvest Moon
Late summer is when corn is gathered. In years when the Harvest Moon falls in October, the September full Moon is called the Corn Moon.
Not a name used in 2026 or 2027.
Harvest MoonThe full Moon closest to the September equinox
The only name tied to the sky rather than the calendar. Around the equinox the Moon rises at nearly the same time on successive evenings, which gave farmers extra light for bringing the crops in. It falls in September in most years, and in October in some.
Dates: Sat, 26 Sept 2026; Wed, 15 Sept 2027 (UTC).
Hunter's MoonThe full Moon after the Harvest Moon, usually October
With fields cleared after the harvest, the next full Moon lit the way for hunting before winter. The name belongs to the full Moon that follows the Harvest Moon. When the Harvest Moon itself falls in October, October has no Hunter's Moon in this calendar and the name is not used that year.
Dates: Mon, 26 Oct 2026; Fri, 15 Oct 2027 (UTC).
Beaver MoonNovember
Autumn is when beavers build their winter lodges, and trappers used to set traps before the swamps froze. The full Moon of November took the name.
Dates: Tue, 24 Nov 2026; Sun, 14 Nov 2027 (UTC).
Cold MoonDecember
The long nights and sharp frost of early winter gave the last full Moon of the year its name. It is also called the Long Night Moon, since it rises close to the winter solstice.
Dates: Thu, 24 Dec 2026; Mon, 13 Dec 2027 (UTC).
Full moon in each zodiac sign
The sign of a full moon is the sign the Moon is in, with the Sun in the opposite one. The table above lists the sign for every date.
- Full moon in Aries, Sun in Libra. Brings the tension between acting for yourself and acting with others to a head, since the Sun is in Libra. Often read as a moment to notice where impatience or over-accommodation has been running things. Full moon in Aries dates. Natal Moon in Aries.
- Full moon in Taurus, Sun in Scorpio. With the Sun in Scorpio, it sets security against intensity. Astrologers read it as a time to look at what you cling to, and what you share only reluctantly. Natal Moon in Taurus.
- Full moon in Gemini, Sun in Sagittarius. Pulls the detail of daily thinking against the larger belief of Sagittarius. It is read as a night to see where facts and meaning have drifted apart. Full moon in Gemini dates. Natal Moon in Gemini.
- Full moon in Cancer, Sun in Capricorn. Sets private need against public duty, with the Sun in Capricorn. Often read as a time to notice where care and obligation compete. Full moon in Cancer dates. Natal Moon in Cancer.
- Full moon in Leo, Sun in Aquarius. Puts personal expression against the group's claim, as the Sun is in Aquarius. Read as a moment that exposes where recognition and belonging pull in different directions. Full moon in Leo dates. Natal Moon in Leo.
- Full moon in Virgo, Sun in Pisces. Holds order against dissolution, with the Sun in Pisces. Astrologers read it as the point where over-planning meets a need to let things be. Natal Moon in Virgo.
- Full moon in Libra, Sun in Aries. Brings the question of self against other to the surface, as the Sun is in Aries. Often read as the moment a compromise either settles or breaks. Natal Moon in Libra.
- Full moon in Scorpio, Sun in Taurus. Sets intensity against ease, with the Sun in Taurus. Read as a night where what you have been avoiding feeling becomes harder to ignore. Full moon in Scorpio dates. Natal Moon in Scorpio.
- Full moon in Sagittarius, Sun in Gemini. Holds the large story against the small facts, as the Sun is in Gemini. Often read as a moment to check whether an idea survives the details. Natal Moon in Sagittarius.
- Full moon in Capricorn, Sun in Cancer. Puts duty against feeling, with the Sun in Cancer. Astrologers read it as a night to see what ambition has cost at home. Natal Moon in Capricorn.
- Full moon in Aquarius, Sun in Leo. Sets the group against the individual, since the Sun is in Leo. It is read as a time when the wish to belong and the wish to stand out are both loud. Full moon in Aquarius dates. Natal Moon in Aquarius.
- Full moon in Pisces, Sun in Virgo. Holds feeling against analysis, with the Sun in Virgo. Often read as the point at which exhaustion, or an unlooked-for tenderness, makes itself known. Natal Moon in Pisces.
Using the full moon for reflection
None of these depends on the Moon. They are ways people use a predictable monthly date as a reason to stop and take stock.
Name what has come to a head
Treat the full moon as a deadline you set for yourself. Write down what is finished or obvious now that was unclear a fortnight ago. The Moon does not make anything clear; the habit of checking in on a fixed rhythm does.
Write a release list
Traditions often pair the full moon with letting go. A plain version is a list of habits, grudges or tasks you are ready to stop carrying, kept on paper where you can see how long it is.
Spend an hour outside
The full moon is bright enough to walk by. Many people simply go outside in the evening, away from screens. It costs nothing, and the quiet is the point.
Review the cycle
If you set intentions at the new Moon, the full moon is a natural place to compare notes. What moved, what stalled, and what turned out not to matter?
Mark the season
The traditional names, from the Wolf Moon to the Cold Moon, tie the year to what is happening outdoors. Knowing which moon it is gives a monthly pause a shape.
Frequently asked questions
What does a full moon mean spiritually?
Spiritually, many traditions treat the full moon as a time of culmination and release: the point where what was begun comes to light and what has run its course can be let go. It is a symbolic and cultural meaning, not a measurable effect of the Moon.
How often is there a full moon?
About every 29.5 days, so most calendar months have one and a few have two. The second full moon in a calendar month is commonly called a blue moon.
What is the difference between a full moon and a supermoon?
A supermoon is a full moon that happens near the closest point of the Moon's orbit to Earth, so it looks slightly larger and brighter. It is the same lunar phase at a different distance, and the size difference is subtle to the eye.
Does the full moon affect behaviour or sleep?
The evidence is weak. Studies of births, crime and hospital admissions have not found a consistent full-moon effect, and the sleep findings are small and disputed. The belief is widespread, which is why it feels convincing.
What is the Harvest Moon?
It is the full moon closest to the September equinox. It usually falls in September, and sometimes in October. Around the equinox the Moon rises at similar times on successive evenings, which historically gave farmers extra evening light.
Are the times on this page in my time zone?
They are in UTC, the standard used by astronomers. Add or subtract your offset. A full moon at 04:12 UTC, for example, is 00:12 the same day in New York (EDT, the summer offset), 05:12 in London (BST, also summer) and 13:12 in Tokyo.
Keep going
New moon dates and meaning · Lunar and solar eclipses · Lunar calendar by month · The eight moon phases · Find your Moon sign · Mercury retrograde · Talk to an astrologer about your chart