← Moon phases

Full Moon

Illuminate and release

Next Full Moon: Mon, October 26, in Taurus (UTC)

The whole face of the Moon is lit. The full moon brings things to light: results, feelings and what needs to be let go.

The meaning of the full moon

At the full moon, the Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon, and the Moon rises as the Sun sets. It is the peak of the cycle. What you have been building becomes visible, and so do emotions that were easier to ignore in the dark.

Full moons are traditionally for gratitude and release: celebrating what worked and consciously letting go of what did not.

Look back at the intention you set at the new moon, about two weeks ago. The full moon shows how far it has grown, and sometimes shows that it was the wrong wish. Both answers are useful. A clear result tells you what to keep doing in the second, waning half of the cycle.

The full moon in the sky

Disc lit
100%
Angle from the Sun
180°, opposite the Sun
Rises
Around sunset
Sets
Around sunrise
Northern Hemisphere
Fully lit, with the dark plains forming the familiar face
Southern Hemisphere
Fully lit, but upside down compared with the northern view

The angle is measured from the Sun eastward to the Moon. Rise and set times are local and shift with the season and your latitude.

Full Moon rituals

  • ✦Write a short gratitude list for the past two weeks.
  • ✦Write down what you are ready to release, then tear it up or safely burn it.
  • ✦Spend a few minutes outside under the moonlight, if you can.

In love

Feelings run high, so say what matters and give others room to do the same. If an argument flares over something small, it usually points at a bigger thing that has been building for weeks. Talk about that one.

In work and money

Celebrate a result and share it, then notice what is ready to end. A project that peaked now can be wrapped up cleanly over the next two weeks. Thank the people who helped while the win is still fresh.

What to avoid during the full moon

  • ×Big decisions in the heat of a strong feeling. Give it a night.
  • ×Overbooking the evening. Leave room to notice how you feel.
  • ×Treating the peak as permanent. The light starts to shrink tomorrow, and that is part of the plan.

Journal prompts

  1. “What has come to light for me, and what am I ready to let go of?”
  2. “What result from this cycle am I proud of?”
  3. “What can I see clearly now that I could not see two weeks ago?”

Dane Rudhyar’s lunation type: Full Moon

Born under the full moon

Rudhyar’s Full Moon type covers a Moon 180° to 225° from the Sun, counting forward. It is linked with awareness of other people, a strong need for meaning and a life that turns on relationships. You may see both sides of an argument quickly, and feel pulled between what you want and what a partner needs.

In natal astrology the phase comes from the Sun-Moon angle in eight bands of 45°, so it can differ slightly from the phase you would have seen that night. Because the band begins at the exact full moon, it includes the first days of the waning gibbous, when the Moon still looks round. Your free birth chart shows where your Sun and Moon were when you were born.

Upcoming full moon dates

The exact moment of each full moon for the next year, with its traditional name and the sign the Moon is in.

  • Mon, October 26 · Hunter’s MoonFull Moon in Taurus
  • Tue, November 24 · Beaver MoonFull Moon in Gemini
  • Thu, December 24 · Cold MoonFull Moon in Cancer
  • Fri, January 22, 2027 · Wolf MoonFull Moon in Leo
  • Sat, February 20, 2027 · Snow MoonFull Moon in Virgo
  • Mon, March 22, 2027 · Worm MoonFull Moon in Libra
  • Tue, April 20, 2027 · Pink MoonFull Moon in Scorpio
  • Thu, May 20, 2027 · Flower MoonFull Moon in Scorpio
  • Sat, June 19, 2027 · Strawberry MoonFull Moon in Sagittarius
  • Sun, July 18, 2027 · Buck MoonFull Moon in Capricorn
  • Tue, August 17, 2027 · Sturgeon MoonFull Moon in Aquarius
  • Wed, September 15, 2027 · Harvest MoonFull Moon in Pisces

Dates in UTC.

The full moon in calendars and festivals

Western churches set the date of Easter by the Moon. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21, using a church calculation of the full moon, so Easter lands between March 22 and April 25.

In Hindu tradition the full moon day is Purnima, and many festivals fall on one, including Guru Purnima in midsummer and Raksha Bandhan in late summer. Buddhists mark Vesak, the day of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death, on a full moon in April or May.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, held in China, Vietnam and across East Asia, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, at or near the full moon closest to the September equinox. Families gather to look at the Moon and share mooncakes.

The month names in the list above, from Wolf Moon to Cold Moon, were popularized by North American almanacs. They are often credited to particular Native American peoples, but that link is disputed. The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the September equinox, so it can fall in September or October, and the Hunter’s Moon is the one after it.

The full moon in each sign

♈ Full Moon in Aries

With the Sun in Libra, your needs pull against other people’s. What you have held back to keep the peace comes out.

♉ Full Moon in Taurus

With the Sun in Scorpio, it is about security: what you own versus what you share. A time to simplify and let go of excess.

♊ Full Moon in Gemini

With the Sun in Sagittarius, facts meet beliefs. Information comes to light and scattered plans need narrowing down.

♋ Full Moon in Cancer

With the Sun in Capricorn, home and family pull against work and ambition. Feelings you were too busy for surface.

♌ Full Moon in Leo

With the Sun in Aquarius, the heart meets the group. Creative projects peak and you want to be seen for who you are.

♍ Full Moon in Virgo

With the Sun in Pisces, order meets surrender. Routines, health and work habits come to a head: finish, clear and tidy.

♎ Full Moon in Libra

With the Sun in Aries, relationships reach a turning point. Where you have been too accommodating, or too independent, becomes obvious.

♏ Full Moon in Scorpio

With the Sun in Taurus, an intense full moon for truth, trust and endings. What has been hidden tends to come out.

♐ Full Moon in Sagittarius

With the Sun in Gemini, a plan, a trip or a belief reaches its conclusion and big-picture decisions get made.

♑ Full Moon in Capricorn

With the Sun in Cancer, career and responsibility peak. The results of long effort show, and so does tiredness.

♒ Full Moon in Aquarius

With the Sun in Leo, friendships and groups come into focus, and you notice who is really on your side.

♓ Full Moon in Pisces

With the Sun in Virgo, emotions and intuition overflow. A time to rest, forgive and let go of what you cannot control.

Common questions

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon is Mon, October 26 (UTC), with the Moon in Taurus. The one after that is Tue, November 24.

How often is there a full moon?

Once every lunar cycle, which averages 29.5 days, so there are twelve or thirteen a year. The exact phase is a single moment, but the Moon looks full for about a day either side.

Where do I look for the full moon?

It rises in the east as the Sun sets and sets in the west as the Sun rises, so it is up all night. Moonrise on the evening of the full moon is the best moment to see it.

How is the full moon different from the waxing gibbous?

The waxing gibbous is the week of growing light before full, when one edge is still shadowed. The full moon is the single moment the Moon sits opposite the Sun with its whole face lit. Astrologically the gibbous is for polishing and the full moon is for seeing results.

What comes after the full moon?

The waning gibbous. The light starts to shrink from the side that lit up first, the Moon rises later each evening, and the focus turns to sharing what the cycle taught you.

What does it mean to be born under the full moon?

It means the Moon was opposite the Sun, or up to 45° past that point, when you were born. Rudhyar called this the Full Moon type and linked it with relationships, objectivity and a need for life to make sense.

What is a supermoon?

A full moon that happens near perigee, the point in its orbit where the Moon comes closest to Earth. It can look up to about 14% wider and 30% brighter than a full moon at the far end of the orbit, though the difference is hard to notice without a side-by-side photo. The term was coined by the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 and later picked up by astronomers and the news.

What is a blue moon?

There are two definitions. The one most people use today is the second full moon in a single calendar month. The older one, from the Maine Farmers’ Almanac, is the third full moon in a season that has four. The name refers to the calendar, and the Moon looks the same as any other full moon.

When does a lunar eclipse happen?

Only at a full moon, and only at some of them. A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow, which needs the Sun, Earth and Moon in a nearly straight line. The Moon’s tilted orbit means most full moons slip just above or below that shadow. Solar eclipses are the mirror case and only happen at a new moon.

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