The Moon in October 2026
In October 2026 the Moon goes through four main phases: last quarter on October 3, new moon on October 10, first quarter on October 18 and full moon on October 26. The full moon, traditionally called the Hunter’s Moon, comes on Monday, October 26 at 12:12 AM ET (4:12 AM UTC). The new moon falls on Saturday, October 10 at 11:50 AM ET.
On October 1 the Moon is a waning gibbous, 76% lit. By October 31 it is a waning gibbous, 58% lit. All times on this page are Eastern Time (New York), rounded to the minute, with UTC alongside. The live tool at the top uses your own time zone.
| Phase | Date | Time (ET) | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last quarter | Saturday, October 3 | 9:25 AM | Oct 3, 1:25 PM |
| New moon | Saturday, October 10 | 11:50 AM | Oct 10, 3:50 PM |
| First quarter | Sunday, October 18 | 12:13 PM | Oct 18, 4:13 PM |
| Full moon | Monday, October 26 | 12:12 AM | Oct 26, 4:12 AM |
October 2026 moon calendar, day by day
Phase and lit share at noon in New York, the Moon’s direction in the sky, then moonrise and moonset in New York. “None” means the Moon does not rise (or set) that calendar day.
| Day | Phase | Lit | Moon | Rise | Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 1 | Waning Gibbous | 71% | Ascending | 9:37 PM | 12:47 PM |
| Fri, Oct 2 | Waning Gibbous | 60% | Descending | 10:41 PM | 1:52 PM |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Last quarter | 49% | Descending | 11:53 PM | 2:47 PM |
| Sun, Oct 4 | Waning Crescent | 38% | Descending | none | 3:30 PM |
| Mon, Oct 5 | Waning Crescent | 27% | Descending | 1:08 AM | 4:05 PM |
| Tue, Oct 6 | Waning Crescent | 18% | Descending | 2:23 AM | 4:34 PM |
| Wed, Oct 7 | Waning Crescent | 10% | Descending | 3:35 AM | 4:58 PM |
| Thu, Oct 8 | Waning Crescent | 5% | Descending | 4:45 AM | 5:21 PM |
| Fri, Oct 9 | Waning Crescent | 1% | Descending | 5:54 AM | 5:43 PM |
| Sat, Oct 10 | New moon | 0% | Descending | 7:01 AM | 6:06 PM |
| Sun, Oct 11 | Waxing Crescent | 1% | Descending | 8:08 AM | 6:31 PM |
| Mon, Oct 12 | Waxing Crescent | 4% | Descending | 9:15 AM | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Oct 13 | Waxing Crescent | 9% | Descending | 10:21 AM | 7:34 PM |
| Wed, Oct 14 | Waxing Crescent | 16% | Descending | 11:24 AM | 8:15 PM |
| Thu, Oct 15 | Waxing Crescent | 23% | Descending | 12:22 PM | 9:02 PM |
| Fri, Oct 16 | Waxing Crescent | 32% | Ascending | 1:12 PM | 9:56 PM |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Waxing Crescent | 41% | Ascending | 1:55 PM | 10:56 PM |
| Sun, Oct 18 | First quarter | 50% | Ascending | 2:32 PM | 11:58 PM |
| Mon, Oct 19 | Waxing Gibbous | 60% | Ascending | 3:02 PM | none |
| Tue, Oct 20 | Waxing Gibbous | 69% | Ascending | 3:28 PM | 1:03 AM |
| Wed, Oct 21 | Waxing Gibbous | 78% | Ascending | 3:51 PM | 2:07 AM |
| Thu, Oct 22 | Waxing Gibbous | 86% | Ascending | 4:13 PM | 3:13 AM |
| Fri, Oct 23 | Waxing Gibbous | 92% | Ascending | 4:36 PM | 4:19 AM |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Waxing Gibbous | 97% | Ascending | 4:59 PM | 5:28 AM |
| Sun, Oct 25 | Waxing Gibbous | 100% | Ascending | 5:26 PM | 6:40 AM |
| Mon, Oct 26 | Full moon | 99% | Ascending | 5:58 PM | 7:56 AM |
| Tue, Oct 27 | Waning Gibbous | 97% | Ascending | 6:39 PM | 9:14 AM |
| Wed, Oct 28 | Waning Gibbous | 91% | Ascending | 7:30 PM | 10:32 AM |
| Thu, Oct 29 | Waning Gibbous | 84% | Ascending | 8:32 PM | 11:42 AM |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Waning Gibbous | 74% | Descending | 9:43 PM | 12:42 PM |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Waning Gibbous | 63% | Descending | 10:59 PM | 1:30 PM |
Distance and height in the sky
The Moon is closest to Earth (perigee) on October 1, at 369,337 km, and again on October 28 (364,409 km). It is farthest (apogee) on October 16, at 404,642 km.
The month starts with a rising Moon. It reaches its highest path on October 2 (declination 28.0° north) and then descends. It reaches its lowest path on October 15 (27.9° south) and starts to ascend again. It reaches its highest path on October 29 (declination 27.8° north) and then descends. A high declination means the Moon rides high in the sky and stays up longer, as seen from the United States.
Why it is called the Hunter’s Moon
The name comes from the almanac tradition of the northeastern United States: it follows the Harvest Moon, when hunters could follow game across the bare fields. These names were popularized in the 1930s by the Maine Farmers’ Almanac, which presented them as Native American names.
Next: the following month. Before: the previous month. See all the full moons of 2026, or sunrise and sunset times for any city.