Where the names come from
The names popular today were collected from North American and old European farming calendars and spread by almanacs in the twentieth century. They describe the season, not the moon: the full moon itself looks the same in every month.
The twelve names
- January — wolf moon
- February — snow moon
- March — worm moon
- April — pink moon, after early spring flowers
- May — flower moon
- June — strawberry moon
- July — buck moon, when deer grow new antlers
- August — sturgeon moon
- September — harvest moon, or corn moon
- October — hunter’s moon
- November — beaver moon
- December — cold moon
The harvest moon is the one name with a rule behind it: it is the full moon closest to the September equinox, so in some years it falls in October and September keeps the corn moon.
Blue moon
A blue moon is not blue. Today it usually means the second full moon in one calendar month, which happens about every two and a half years because the cycle of 29.5 days is shorter than most months. The older meaning is the third full moon in a season that has four. Both meanings are in use, and both describe the calendar rather than anything you can see.
Supermoon
A supermoon is a full moon that happens near the moon’s closest point to the earth. The term comes from astrology, not astronomy, and there is no official threshold. At its closest the full moon looks about 14 % wider and 30 % brighter than at its furthest — real, but not something you notice without two photos side by side. Our month pages label a full moon as a supermoon and give its distance in kilometres.
Blood moon
A blood moon is a total lunar eclipse: the moon passes through the earth’s shadow and turns copper-red with the light of every sunrise and sunset on earth bent onto it. Unlike the other names this is a real event with a time, and our eclipses page lists every one.
When is the next one?
The full moon calendar lists every full moon of the year with its date and minute, and the next full moon page counts down to it.
Questions and answers
What is the full moon in January called?
The wolf moon. February’s is the snow moon, June’s the strawberry moon and October’s the hunter’s moon.
How often is there a blue moon?
A second full moon in the same calendar month happens about every two and a half years.
Is a supermoon bigger?
Slightly: at its closest the full moon is about 14 % wider than at its furthest. The huge moon on the horizon is an optical illusion and happens at any full moon.
