Some almanacs like to give each month a special full moon name. Other almanacs like to reference full moons relative to seasonal markers, as defined by equinoxes and solstices. Is one way better than the other? No. Both have their roots in folklore.
Here we list common North American full moon names – first by month – and then by season.
Image Credit: Luz Adriana Villa A.
Full moon names by month:
January: Old Moon, or Moon After Yule
February: Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, or Wolf Moon
March: Sap Moon, Crow Moon, or Lenten Moon
April: Grass Moon, or Egg Moon
May: Planting Moon, or Milk Moon
June: Rose Moon, Flower Moon, or Strawberry Moon
July: Thunder Moon, or Hay Moon
August: Green Corn Moon, or Grain Moon
September: Fruit Moon, or Harvest Moon
October: Harvest Moon, or Hunter’s Moon
November: Hunter’s Moon, Frosty Moon, or Beaver Moon
December: Moon Before Yule, or Long Night Moon
About once every 19 years, February has no full moon at all. Moreover, in 7 out of every 19 years, two full moons will fall in the same calendar month. The second of the month’s two full moons is popularly referred to as a Blue Moon. The next Blue Moon by this definition will happen on August 31, 2012.
Photo credit: ava verino
Full moon names by season:
After the December solstice:
Old Moon, or Moon After Yule
Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, or Wolf Moon
Sap Moon, Crow Moon or Lenten Moon
After the March equinox:
Grass Moon, or Egg Moon
Planting Moon, or Milk Moon
Rose Moon, Flower Moon, or Strawberry Moon
After the June solstice:
Thunder Moon, or Hay Moon
Green Corn Moon, or Grain Moon
Fruit Moon, or Harvest Moon
After the September equinox:
Harvest Moon, or Hunter’s Moon
Hunter’s Moon, Frosty Moon, or Beaver Moon
Moon Before Yule, or Long Night Moon
There are usually three full moons in between an equinox and a solstice, or vice versa. Seven times in 19 years, four full moons fall in a single season. In that case, the third of a season’s four full moons is also called a Blue Moon. The next Blue Moon by this definition will happen on August 21, 2013.
Photo credit: Michelle Eve Photography
Guy Ottewell’s Astronomical Calendar
One of the best astronomical calendars in existence!
Photo credit: Patricia Smith Mims
moons rule!
cool
Those names are awesome.
The above URL for the Astronomical Calendar is in error. The correct one is:
http://www.universalworkshop.com/AC10.htm
Footnote: Guy Ottewell… I haven’t thought of him in YEARS! He was at the university I attended in the early 1970′s!
Last I heard, a year or so ago, Guy was back in the UK …
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Hmmm…I guess it depends on where you get your information from because many of these moon names are in different cultures and are named for different reasons. Check out Native American moon names and Celtic names. They all differ. Nice though.
Some definitions of a blue moon differ than the one here. Other sources claim it is the third full moon of a 3-month season that has 4 full moons.
Is there a name for February without a full moon?
Selj,
Great question! Not that I know of, though one would think there should be.
Bruce
[...] In North America, we commonly call this full moon the “Old Moon” or “Moon After Yule.” Can you tell me the full moon names? The photograph above is by sky artist Dan Bush, by the way. Be sure to check out his moon page. [...]
I Love the Moon…Fullmoon rises are so beautiful and my absolute favorite
The Moon*i*verse
Katie & I saw, The Moon Last Night,
Floating Gently, Glowing Bright…
A Big Ole Moon, Smiling Down,
On Our Quiet, Sleepy, Little Town…
It was a Special Moment, For Us to Share,
Our Feelings, for The One Up There…
She had Never, Met The “Man” Before,
Lost in Make -Believe Folklore…
Now, Old Enough, to Realize,
The Moon is Really, GOD, in Disquise!!!
[...] discovered that full moons have names! I love it when the real world gets its whimsy on. I find it so [...]
I DONT GET WHAT U CALL THE MOON PHASES THAT ARE LIKE CRESENTS BUT DIFFERENT SIZES OF CRESENTS PLEASE HELP!
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Interesting names for the full moon but they are northen hemispher specific and probably mostly Europe and North America specific. The Long Night Moon in December would be a Short Night Moon in Australia. Are there other names for the full moon in other countries, Japan or China or Korea for example, and What about in South American countries?
Lesley, you’re right. We’re in North America, and many of these moons names stem from North American – or at least Northern Hemisphere – traditions.
We’d love to get a good source of moon names from the Southern Hemisphere. If anyone knows of a credible source of info, please let us know.
Deborah
[...] a related note, I had no idea all full moons have names, not just the Harvest Moon. From what I can gather, this moon would have been the Planting Moon, or [...]