Tonight’s full moon is bringing excitement in parts of the world with the appearance of a full lunar eclipse. For the places that won’t be so lucky, tonight’s full moon is still worth studying.
Beyond the werewolf folklore, September’s full moon marks an important point in the lunar calendar, with seasonal significance. Here’s when it’s due, what it’s called, and what it means.
When is the September full moon?
September’s full moon will take place on Sunday, Sept. 7. The previous full moon was on Aug. 9.
According to Astronomy.com, this month’s full moon will peak at 2:09 a.m. ET.
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What is the September full moon called?
The full moons each have a name, a tradition that comes from early cultures using the lunar cycle to track time and seasonal changes.
This month’s full moon is known as the Corn Moon, according to Royal Museums Greenwich, simply because this is when crops would be collected at the end of the summer.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon is predicted to occur on Oct. 7, 2025, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide.
What are the lunar phases?
The full moon is just one day of the lunar phase, which is a 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible.
There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:
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New Moon — The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
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Waxing Crescent — A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
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First Quarter — Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.
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Waxing Gibbous — More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
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Full Moon — The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.
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Waning Gibbous — The moon starts losing light on the right side.
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Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) — Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.
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Waning Crescent — A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
