2026 has 13 full moons. The first is the Wolf Moon on Saturday, January 3, the last the Cold Moon on Wednesday, December 23. Three of them are supermoons (January 3, November 24 and December 23). With two full moons in May, May 31 is a blue moon. Two full moons bring a lunar eclipse.
Times are Eastern Time (New York) and UTC, rounded to the minute. The tool at the top shows them in your own time zone.
| Name | Date | ET | UTC | Distance | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Moon | Saturday, January 3 | 5:03 AM | Jan 3, 10:03 AM | 362,312 km | Supermoon |
| Snow Moon | Sunday, February 1 | 5:09 PM | Feb 1, 10:09 PM | 371,384 km | |
| Worm Moon | Tuesday, March 3 | 6:38 AM | Mar 3, 11:38 AM | 382,609 km | Total lunar eclipse |
| Pink Moon | Wednesday, April 1 | 10:12 PM | Apr 2, 2:12 AM | 393,596 km | |
| Flower Moon | Friday, May 1 | 1:23 PM | May 1, 5:23 PM | 402,003 km | |
| Blue Moon | Sunday, May 31 | 4:45 AM | May 31, 8:45 AM | 406,135 km | Blue moon |
| Strawberry Moon | Monday, June 29 | 7:57 PM | Jun 29, 11:57 PM | 405,251 km | |
| Buck Moon | Wednesday, July 29 | 10:36 AM | Jul 29, 2:36 PM | 399,617 km | |
| Sturgeon Moon | Friday, August 28 | 12:19 AM | Aug 28, 4:19 AM | 390,398 km | Partial lunar eclipse |
| Harvest Moon | Saturday, September 26 | 12:49 PM | Sep 26, 4:49 PM | 379,433 km | |
| Hunter’s Moon | Monday, October 26 | 12:12 AM | Oct 26, 4:12 AM | 368,871 km | |
| Beaver Moon | Tuesday, November 24 | 9:54 AM | Nov 24, 2:54 PM | 360,768 km | Supermoon |
| Cold Moon | Wednesday, December 23 | 8:28 PM | Dec 24, 1:28 AM | 356,740 km | Supermoon |
Supermoons in 2026
The closest full moon of the year is the Cold Moon on December 23, 356,740 km from Earth. The farthest is the Blue Moon on May 31, at 406,135 km, sometimes called a micromoon. The gap between the two is 49,395 km, enough to make the closest full moon about 14% wider in the sky. We count as supermoons the full moons that fall within 10% of the closest approach of their orbit (Richard Nolle’s rule, as applied by Fred Espenak).
Blue moon in 2026
May 2026 has two full moons, so the second one, on May 31, is a blue moon. The Moon does not change color for the occasion.
Lunar eclipses at full moon
A lunar eclipse can only happen at full moon, when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up. In 2026: a total lunar eclipse on March 3, greatest at 11:34 AM UTC. Totality lasts about 58 minutes. It is fully visible from the Pacific, eastern Asia and northwestern North America; on the East Coast the Moon sets during the eclipse, at dawn. a partial lunar eclipse on August 28, greatest at 4:13 AM UTC. About 93% of the Moon enters Earth’s shadow. It is visible across the Americas; in New York the Moon is high in the sky around 12:13 AM EDT.
Where the full moon names come from
The names in the table come from the almanacs of the northeastern United States. The Maine Farmers’ Almanac popularized them in the 1930s and presented them as Native American names; they also mix in colonial and European traditions, and each people had its own names. Here is what each one refers to.
- Wolf Moon: wolves were heard howling more often in the hungry weeks of midwinter.
- Snow Moon: February is often the snowiest month in the northern United States.
- Worm Moon: earthworms come back to the surface as the ground thaws, and robins follow them.
- Pink Moon: it is named after a pink wildflower, creeping phlox, which blooms in early spring.
- Flower Moon: flowers bloom everywhere in May.
- Strawberry Moon: wild strawberries ripen and are picked in June.
- Buck Moon: young male deer grow new antlers, still covered in velvet.
- Sturgeon Moon: sturgeon were easiest to catch in the Great Lakes in late summer.
- Harvest Moon: it is the full moon closest to the September equinox: it rises soon after sunset several evenings in a row, which gave farmers extra light.
- Hunter’s Moon: after the harvest, hunters could follow game across the bare fields.
- Beaver Moon: trappers set their beaver traps before the swamps froze.
- Cold Moon: it comes with the long, cold nights near the winter solstice.
The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the September equinox (September 22 this year), so it can fall in September or October. The Hunter’s Moon is the one that follows it.
Each month has its own page with every phase and a day by day table, for example January 2026 or December 2026. See also the full moons of 2027 and today’s moon phase.