Mark your calendars for the Full Harvest Moon 2020, the full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox each year.
Why the October Full Moon is called the Full Harvest Moon
The Fall Full Moon’s name is inspired by nature and agriculture. And this particular full moon name sometimes switches between September and October. It depends on which of the two full moons is closer to the Fall Equinox.
In years where the September Full Moon is closer to the Fall Equinox, the October Full Moon’s name is the Full Hunter’s Moon instead.
And in October when the full moon is closer to the Equinox, the September Full Moon is called the Full Corn Moon.
When is the Full Harvest Moon in 2020?
The Autumn Equinox will occur on September 22, 2020 at 09:31 EST. The October Full Moon is 9 days later. The September Full Moon is on the calendar for about 20 days before the equinox.
The 2020 Full Harvest Moon will be on Thursday October 1, 2020 17:05 EST based on the data provided by NASA.
In October 2020 the full moon will be called the Full Harvest Moon because it’s closer to the Fall Equinox than the September Full Moon. Otherwise, the October 2020 full moon would have been called the Full Hunter’s Moon. For 2020, the September Full Moon will be called the Full Corn Moon.
Related: Full Moon Calendar for 2020
Future Full Harvest Moons for 2020 to 2025
Here is a list of the Full Moons that will be considered the Harvest Moon for 2020 to 2025.
For the five full moons in the future, the Harvest Moon will generally be the September full moon based on how the calendar aligns with the fall equinox.
Depending on where you are located sometimes the full moon will shift dates between timezones.
| Year | Day of the week | Future Harvest Moons |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Monday | September 20, 2021 19:55 EST |
| 2022 | Saturday | September 10, 2022 05:59 EST |
| 2023 | Friday | September 29, 2023 05:57 EST |
| 2024 | Tuesday | September 17, 2024 22:34 EST |
| 2025 | Monday | October 6, 2025 22:48 EST |
Past Full Harvest Moons 2015 to 2019
And here is a list of the five September full moons that occurred from 2015 to 2019.
Looking at the past Harvest Moons, they also frequently occurred in September.
Depending on where you are located sometimes the full moon will shift dates between timezones.
| Year | Day of the week | Past October Full Moons |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Sunday | September 27, 2015 22:50 EST |
| 2016 | Friday | September 16, 2017 15:05 EST |
| 2017 | Thursday | October 5, 2017 14:40 EST |
| 2018 | Monday | September 24, 2018 22:53 EST |
| 2019 | Saturday | September 14, 2019 00:33 EST |
Additional Full Moon Calendars
And if you’re looking for when the full moon occurs for the rest of the year, check out these future full moon calendars.
