The Moon in September 2026
In September 2026 the Moon goes through four main phases: last quarter on September 4, new moon on September 10, first quarter on September 18 and full moon on September 26. The full moon, traditionally called the Harvest Moon, comes on Saturday, September 26 at 12:49 PM ET (4:49 PM UTC). The new moon falls on Thursday, September 10 at 11:27 PM ET.
On September 1 the Moon is a waning gibbous, 83% lit. By September 30 it is a waning gibbous, 76% 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 | Friday, September 4 | 3:51 AM | Sep 4, 7:51 AM |
| New moon | Thursday, September 10 | 11:27 PM | Sep 11, 3:27 AM |
| First quarter | Friday, September 18 | 4:44 PM | Sep 18, 8:44 PM |
| Full moon | Saturday, September 26 | 12:49 PM | Sep 26, 4:49 PM |
September 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 1 | Waning Gibbous | 78% | Ascending | 9:25 PM | 11:15 AM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | Waning Gibbous | 69% | Ascending | 10:00 PM | 12:30 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | Waning Gibbous | 58% | Ascending | 10:45 PM | 1:44 PM |
| Fri, Sep 4 | Last quarter | 46% | Ascending | 11:41 PM | 2:55 PM |
| Sat, Sep 5 | Waning Crescent | 35% | Descending | none | 3:58 PM |
| Sun, Sep 6 | Waning Crescent | 24% | Descending | 12:49 AM | 4:49 PM |
| Mon, Sep 7 | Waning Crescent | 15% | Descending | 2:04 AM | 5:31 PM |
| Tue, Sep 8 | Waning Crescent | 8% | Descending | 3:21 AM | 6:04 PM |
| Wed, Sep 9 | Waning Crescent | 3% | Descending | 4:37 AM | 6:31 PM |
| Thu, Sep 10 | New moon | 0% | Descending | 5:51 AM | 6:56 PM |
| Fri, Sep 11 | Waxing Crescent | 0% | Descending | 7:02 AM | 7:18 PM |
| Sat, Sep 12 | Waxing Crescent | 3% | Descending | 8:10 AM | 7:41 PM |
| Sun, Sep 13 | Waxing Crescent | 7% | Descending | 9:18 AM | 8:04 PM |
| Mon, Sep 14 | Waxing Crescent | 14% | Descending | 10:25 AM | 8:31 PM |
| Tue, Sep 15 | Waxing Crescent | 21% | Descending | 11:32 AM | 9:01 PM |
| Wed, Sep 16 | Waxing Crescent | 30% | Descending | 12:36 PM | 9:37 PM |
| Thu, Sep 17 | Waxing Crescent | 39% | Descending | 1:37 PM | 10:20 PM |
| Fri, Sep 18 | First quarter | 48% | Descending | 2:32 PM | 11:10 PM |
| Sat, Sep 19 | Waxing Gibbous | 58% | Ascending | 3:20 PM | none |
| Sun, Sep 20 | Waxing Gibbous | 67% | Ascending | 4:00 PM | 12:07 AM |
| Mon, Sep 21 | Waxing Gibbous | 76% | Ascending | 4:34 PM | 1:09 AM |
| Tue, Sep 22 | Waxing Gibbous | 83% | Ascending | 5:02 PM | 2:13 AM |
| Wed, Sep 23 | Waxing Gibbous | 90% | Ascending | 5:27 PM | 3:19 AM |
| Thu, Sep 24 | Waxing Gibbous | 95% | Ascending | 5:50 PM | 4:25 AM |
| Fri, Sep 25 | Waxing Gibbous | 99% | Ascending | 6:12 PM | 5:31 AM |
| Sat, Sep 26 | Full moon | 100% | Ascending | 6:35 PM | 6:39 AM |
| Sun, Sep 27 | Waning Gibbous | 99% | Ascending | 6:59 PM | 7:49 AM |
| Mon, Sep 28 | Waning Gibbous | 95% | Ascending | 7:27 PM | 9:02 AM |
| Tue, Sep 29 | Waning Gibbous | 89% | Ascending | 8:01 PM | 10:17 AM |
| Wed, Sep 30 | Waning Gibbous | 81% | Ascending | 8:44 PM | 11:34 AM |
Distance and height in the sky
The Moon is closest to Earth (perigee) on September 6, at 368,258 km. It is farthest (apogee) on September 18, at 404,221 km.
The month starts with a rising Moon. It reaches its highest path on September 5 (declination 28.1° north) and then descends. It reaches its lowest path on September 18 (28.1° south) and starts to ascend again. 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 Harvest Moon
The name comes from the almanac tradition of the northeastern United States: 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. 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.