Full Moon field guide · UK dates
The Harvest Moon
The full Moon nearest the September equinox; it can fall in September or October.
What Harvest Moon means
Harvest Moon is defined by the equinox rather than by a fixed calendar month. It is the full Moon closest to the September equinox, so some years place it in October and leave September's full Moon with another seasonal label such as Corn Moon.
Around this part of the year, successive evening moonrises can be unusually close together in time at northern latitudes.
These are popular English-language almanac names rather than a single universal cultural calendar. NASA’s Moon phase guide describes the modern naming usage. Seasonal descriptions here follow the northern hemisphere; southern seasons are reversed.
This is a calculated seasonal designation, not a fixed month label. The table follows the full Moon nearest the September equinox for Harvest Moon and the immediately following full Moon for Hunter's Moon.
Next occurrence · Europe/London
Thu, 16 Sept 2027
Exact full Moon: . Brown lunation 1295.
Three-year almanac
Harvest Moon dates, 2026–2028
| Year | Date and time · Europe/London | Lunation | Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1283 | Open month | |
| 2027 | 1295 | Open month | |
| 2028 | 1308 | Open month |
02
What to notice from the UK
Compare moonrise on consecutive evenings and look for the shallow angle of the Moon's path to the eastern horizon.
Check local rise and set for the next Harvest Moon
The disc looks full on the nights around the exact instant. A low Moon may look larger or warmer because of perspective and the atmosphere, not because its phase changed.
03
Other recorded labels
Almanacs do not share one universal naming system. This month is also listed as Halig Moon in an Old English grouping and Singing Moon in a modern Celtic-revival grouping.