Full Moon names and dates

13 full Moons in 2026, dated in UTC. Harvest Moon is the full Moon nearest the September equinox; Hunter’s Moon follows it.

Wolf Moon

A midwinter almanac name associated with wolves heard calling during long January nights. It falls in the heart of northern winter, when a high full Moon can travel a long arc across the UK night sky.

Next Wolf Moon: 22 January 2027 at 12:17 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Wolf Moon	3 January 2026 at 10:03 UTC	362,301 km

Wolf Moon is the popular English-language almanac name for January's full Moon. Modern accounts connect it with wolves calling in midwinter; the label is now widely used, but it is not one universal historic naming system. Look east around sunset for the rising Moon, then notice how high it climbs by the middle of the night.

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Snow Moon

A seasonal name for the snowy conditions associated with February in northern climates. UK snow is never guaranteed, but February nights are still long enough for an extended evening observation.

Next Snow Moon: 20 February 2027 at 23:24 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Snow Moon	1 February 2026 at 22:09 UTC	371,376 km

Snow Moon attaches February's full Moon to the winter weather of northern Europe and North America. Other calendars use names such as Hunger Moon, Storm Moon or Ice Moon for the same part of the year. Compare the Moon's cool light over open ground with its warmer colour close to the horizon.

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Worm Moon

A spring-thaw name linked in popular accounts with softened ground and the return of visible invertebrate activity. The date sits close to the seasonal turn, so its path and rise time can change noticeably from year to year.

Next Worm Moon: 22 March 2027 at 10:44 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Worm Moon	3 March 2026 at 11:38 UTC	382,603 km

Worm Moon is the familiar March label. Its exact story varies: modern accounts refer to earthworm casts or other signs appearing as frozen ground thaws, while older regional calendars use several different spring names. Use binoculars along the terminator on the nights before full Moon, when low shadows reveal more surface relief.

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Pink Moon

Named for pink spring wildflowers in eastern North America, not for a change in the Moon's colour. In the UK it belongs to lengthening spring evenings, with full Moon rising progressively later by the clock as daylight grows.

Next Pink Moon: 20 April 2027 at 22:27 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Pink Moon	2 April 2026 at 02:12 UTC	393,585 km

Pink Moon is April's popular almanac name and is commonly linked with early-blooming pink phlox in eastern North America. The Moon itself normally keeps its familiar pale colour unless the atmosphere near the horizon changes it. Look for the Moon low in the east after sunset; atmospheric haze may make it appear gold or orange, rather than pink.

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Flower Moon

A broad spring name marking the abundance of flowers in May. Shorter nights keep the May full Moon lower in the UK sky than its winter counterparts.

Next Flower Moon: 20 May 2027 at 10:59 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Flower Moon	1 May 2026 at 17:23 UTC	401,990 km
Flower Moon	31 May 2026 at 08:45 UTC	406,126 km

Flower Moon is one of the most direct seasonal labels: it connects May's full Moon with the flush of northern spring flowering. Milk Moon and Bright Moon appear in other English-language traditions. Choose a clear southern horizon and watch how the low lunar path changes the colour and apparent size near moonrise.

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Strawberry Moon

A seasonal harvest name associated with the brief early-summer strawberry season in north-eastern North America. Near the June solstice the UK full Moon follows a low, shallow path and the observing night is brief.

Next Strawberry Moon: 19 June 2027 at 00:45 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Strawberry Moon	29 June 2026 at 23:57 UTC	405,245 km

Strawberry Moon is the popular June name. It refers to the timing of ripening fruit in a regional seasonal calendar, not to a red or pink lunar disc. Find an open south-eastern horizon; buildings and trees can hide a low midsummer Moon for longer than expected.

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Buck Moon

A midsummer almanac name linked with the annual growth of new antlers on male deer. The Moon remains comparatively low over the UK, though the nights begin to lengthen after the solstice.

Next Buck Moon: 18 July 2027 at 15:45 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Buck Moon	29 July 2026 at 14:36 UTC	399,605 km

Buck Moon is July's common almanac label, referring to the season when a buck's growing antlers are prominent. Hay Moon and Herb Moon are among the alternative names recorded in European traditions. Observe on the evening before exact full Moon as well: the bright disc rises a little earlier and is easier to frame with the landscape.

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Sturgeon Moon

A Great Lakes seasonal name associated with lake sturgeon during late summer. UK nights are darkening quickly again, giving the August full Moon more time in a properly dark sky.

Next Sturgeon Moon: 17 August 2027 at 07:29 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Sturgeon Moon	28 August 2026 at 04:19 UTC	390,385 km

Sturgeon Moon is the widely used August label and is associated with fishing seasons around the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. It is a regional name that entered the modern almanac list, alongside many alternatives. Watch for the Moon rising through late-summer haze, then compare its colour after it climbs clear of the horizon.

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Harvest Moon

The full Moon nearest the September equinox; it can fall in September or October. Around this part of the year, successive evening moonrises can be unusually close together in time at northern latitudes.

Next Harvest Moon: 15 September 2027 at 23:04 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Harvest Moon	26 September 2026 at 16:49 UTC	379,423 km

Harvest Moon is defined by the equinox rather than by a fixed calendar month. It is the full Moon closest to the September equinox, so some years place it in October and leave September's full Moon with another seasonal label such as Corn Moon. Compare moonrise on consecutive evenings and look for the shallow angle of the Moon's path to the eastern horizon.

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Hunter's Moon

The full Moon immediately after the Harvest Moon, so it can fall in October or November. It normally arrives as UK evenings are becoming markedly longer and cooler.

Next Hunter's Moon: 26 October 2026 at 04:12 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Hunter's Moon	26 October 2026 at 04:12 UTC	368,859 km

Hunter's Moon follows the Harvest Moon by one lunation. The traditional explanation links the bright post-harvest evenings with tracking game across cleared fields; its date moves when the Harvest Moon moves. Look east soon after sunset and compare its rise time with the preceding night's Moon.

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Beaver Moon

A late-autumn name with two common explanations: beaver activity before winter, or the timing of beaver trapping. A November full Moon climbs high and can illuminate a UK landscape for much of the long night.

Next Beaver Moon: 24 November 2026 at 14:54 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Beaver Moon	24 November 2026 at 14:54 UTC	360,754 km

Accounts of Beaver Moon disagree. Some connect November with beavers strengthening dams and lodges before winter; others connect it with the season for setting traps. Frost Moon is a common alternative. Give your eyes time to adapt, then notice how strong moonlight softens faint stars while casting distinct ground shadows.

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Cold Moon

A plain seasonal name for the cold, long nights around the beginning of northern winter. This is usually one of the year's highest full-Moon paths over the UK and can remain above the horizon for a long winter night.

Next Cold Moon: 24 December 2026 at 01:28 UTC.

Full Moon	Local time	Distance
Cold Moon	24 December 2026 at 01:28 UTC	356,729 km

Cold Moon is December's familiar almanac name. Long Night Moon and Moon Before Yule are alternatives that emphasise the same position near the winter solstice. Use the high lunar path to observe from a site with less concern about low buildings or trees, but allow for glare from the bright disc.

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Northern almanac names describe northern seasons. Regional calendars use other names and southern seasons are reversed; the full-Moon instant is global.

Download full-Moon calendar

Find twelve conventional full Moon names, local dates and seasonal rules; choose a year and time zone, then export the named schedule.