Full Moon names through the year
Each month's full Moon has traditional names, such as the Wolf Moon in January and the Harvest Moon in September. Here is the list most used in English, and what supermoons and blue Moons really are.
The full deep dive
The names
The names most used in English come from a mix of North American and European folk traditions, popularised by farmers’ almanacs. Different cultures have their own names.
| Month | Name |
|---|---|
| January | Wolf Moon |
| February | Snow Moon |
| March | Worm Moon |
| April | Pink Moon |
| May | Flower Moon |
| June | Strawberry Moon |
| July | Buck Moon |
| August | Sturgeon Moon |
| September | Harvest Moon (the full Moon nearest the autumn equinox) |
| October | Hunter’s Moon |
| November | Beaver Moon |
| December | Cold Moon |
The Harvest Moon is usually in September, but when the full Moon nearest the equinox falls in early October, that one is the Harvest Moon and the September full Moon is called the Corn Moon instead.
Supermoons
A supermoon is a full Moon that happens near the point in the Moon’s orbit closest to Earth. It looks a little bigger and brighter than usual, up to about 14 percent larger than the smallest full Moon, though the difference is hard to notice by eye.
Blue Moons
A blue Moon is not blue. It is either the second full Moon in a calendar month, or the third full Moon in a season that has four. They happen about every two to three years, which is where “once in a blue Moon” comes from.
In astrology
Each full Moon falls in the sign opposite the Sun, and astrologers read it as a time of culmination and release in the area of life that sign rules. See The phases of the Moon.