Full Moon Calendar 1978 with 12 full moons
The Full Moon 1978 Calendar includes 12 full moons, 1 seasonal blue moon, 2 lunar eclipses, 5 supermoons, solstices, and equinoxes to help you look back at the past dates.
A full moon occurs when the Earth is directly between the Sun and Moon so that the moon looks completely illuminated when you look at it. It happens about once a month or, 29.53 days on average.
Typically there are 12 full moons each year, which was true in 1978. Ready to dive a little deeper into the 1978 dates? Take a look at each month, the names associated with each full moon, the lunar eclipses, and the dates for the equinoxes and solstices.
The dates and times provided by NASA in the United States Eastern Time (ET) account for both Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) for part of the year in the United States. Also below is the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time. This was previously referred to as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Since you may be in a different time zone, the exact dates may shift slightly for your calendar.
When were the 1978 Full Moons?
The dates and names of the 12 full moons in 1978 were:
- January 24, 1978: Full Wolf Moon
- February 22, 1978: Full Snow Moon
- March 24, 1978: Worm Blood Moon
- April 22, 1978: Full Pink Moon
- May 22, 1978: Super Flower Blue Moon
- June 20, 1978: Super Strawberry Moon
- July 19, 1978: Super Buck Moon
- August 18, 1978: Super Sturgeon Moon
- September 16, 1978: Super Harvest Blood Moon
- October 16, 1978: Full Hunter’s Moon
- November 14, 1978: Full Beaver Moon
- December 14, 1978: Full Cold Moon
Full Moon Calendar 1978
In 1978, there were 12 full moons on the calendar with one seasonal blue moon. In March and September there were total lunar eclipses. There were also 5 supermoons during the year starting in May.
The 1978 Full Moons were:
January 24, 1978: Full Wolf Moon
The first full moon of 1978 was on Tuesday January 24, 1978 at 2:56 AM EST or 7:56 AM UTC. It was the second full moon of the Winter 1977-1978 season as the second full moon after the 1977 Winter Solstice. Also called the Full Wolf Moon, the January 24th full moon was the full moon in Leo.
February 22, 1978 (February 23 UTC): Full Snow Moon
The second 1978 full moon was on Wednesday February 22, 1978 at 8:26 PM EST or February 23, 1978 at 1:26 AM UTC. It was the last winter 1978 full moon. Also called the Full Snow Moon, the February 22nd full moon was the full moon in Virgo.
March 24, 1978: Worm Blood Moon
The third full moon of 1978 was on Friday March 24, 1978 at 11:20 AM EST or 4:20 PM UTC. It was the first full moon of Spring 1978 as the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. The March 24th full moon was the full moon in Libra.
As the full moon had a total lunar eclipse, the March 24th full moon was called a Worm Blood Moon. A nickname added to full moon that coincides with a total lunar eclipse is a blood moon because of the reddish hue the moon takes on during the eclipse.
April 22, 1978 (April 23 UTC): Full Pink Moon
The fourth 1978 full moon was on Saturday April 22, 1978 at 11:11 PM EST or April 23, 1978 at 4:11 AM UTC. It was the second Spring full moon as the second full moon after the Spring Equinox. Also called the Full Pink Moon, the April 22nd full moon was the full moon in Scorpio.
May 22, 1978: Super Flower Blue Moon
The fifth full moon in 1978 was on May 22, 1978 at 9:17 AM EDT or 1:17 PM UTC. It was the third Spring full Moon as the third full moon after the 1978 Spring Equinox. It was also the full moon in Sagittarius.
The May 22nd full moon was also the first of five supermoons in 1978. It was also a seasonal blue moon because it was the third full moon in a season that had four full moons.
Typically called the Full Flower Moon, the May 22nd full moon was called the Super Flower Blue Moon.
The May 22nd Full Moon was also a seasonal blue moon because it was the third full moon in a season that had four full moons.
June 20, 1978: Super Strawberry Moon
The sixth 1978 full moon was on Tuesday June 20, 1978 at 4:30 PM EDT or 8:30 PM UTC. It was the fourth and last Spring full moon for 1978.
The June 20th full moon was also the second of five supermoons in 1978. Typically called the Full Strawberry Moon, the June 20th full moon was called the Super Strawberry Moon as it was also a supermoon. It was also the full moon in Sagittarius.
July 19, 1978 (July 19 UTC): Super Buck Moon
The seventh full moon of 1978 was on Wednesday July 19, 1978 at 11:05 PM EDT or July 20, 1978 at 3:05 AM UTC. It was the first full moon of Summer as the first full moon after the 1978 Summer Solstice.
The July 19th full moon was also the third of five supermoons in 1978. Typically called the Full Buck Moon, the July 19th full moon was called the Super Buck Moon as it was also a supermoon. It was also the full moon in Capricorn.
August 18, 1978: Super Sturgeon Moon
The eighth 1978 full moon was on Friday August 18, 1978 6:14 AM EDT or 10:14 AM UTC. It was the second full moon of Summer as the second full moon after the 1978 Summer Solstice.
The August 18th full moon was the fourth of five supermoons in 1978. Typically called the Full Sturgeon Moon, the August 18th full moon was called the Super Sturgeon Moon as it was also a supermoon. It was also the full moon in Aquarius.
September 16, 1978: Super Harvest Blood Moon
The ninth full moon in 1978 was on Saturday September 16, 1978 3:01 PM EDT or 7:01 PM UTC. It was the third and last full moon of Summer. The September 16th full moon was the closest to the Autumnal Equinox in 1978 making it the Harvest Moon.
The September 16th full moon was the last of five supermoons in 1978. There was also a total lunar eclipse during the full moon. A nickname added to full moon that coincide with a total lunar eclipse is a blood moon because of the reddish hue the moon takes on during the eclipse.
As the full moon was both a supermoon and had a total lunar eclipse, the September 16th full moon was called a Super Harvest Blood Moon. It was also the full moon in Pisces.
October 16, 1978: Full Hunter’s Moon
The tenth 1978 full moon was on Monday October 16, 1978 2:09 AM EDT or 6:09 AM UTC. It was the first Autumn full moon as the first full moon after the 1978 Autumnal Equinox. The October 16th full moon was the last of the supermoons in 1978. Also called the Full Hunter’s Moon, the October 16th full moon was the full moon in Aries.
November 14, 1978: Full Beaver Moon
The eleventh full moon in 1978 was on Tuesday November 14, 1978 at 3:00 PM EST or 8:00 PM UTC. It was the second Autumn full moon as the second full moon after the 1978 Autumnal Equinox. Also called the Full Beaver Moon, the November 14th was the full moon in Taurus.
December 14, 1978: Full Cold Moon
The twelfth and last full moon of 1978 was on Thursday December 14, 1978 7:31 AM EST or 12:31 PM UTC. It was the third and last Autumn full moon. Also called the Full Cold Moon, the December 14th full moon was the full moon in Gemini.
When was the Full Harvest Moon in 1978?
The 1978 Full Harvest Moon was on September 16th at 3:01 PM EDT or 7:01 PM UTC. The September 16th full moon was the ninth full moon of 1978 and the full moon in Pisces. The Full Harvest Moon was the last full moon of Summer as the third full moon after the Summer Solstice.
The 1978 Harvest Moon was also a supermoon and had a total lunar eclipse making it a Super Harvest Blood Moon.
Depending on the year, the Harvest Moon may either be part of the Summer or Autumn season. In 1978 it was part of Summer. The New Harvest Moon occurred in September on September 2, 1978 12:09 PM EDT or 9:26 AM UTC. The September 2nd New Moon was the last new moon of Summer.
Was there a blue moon in 1978?
In 1978 there was a seasonal blue moon as part of the spring season because it had four full moons. The May 22nd was considered a seasonal blue moon. The full moon on June 20th occurred about a day before the Summer Solstice making this possible.
There are two definitions of blue moons. The most common, and the one you likely know, is when two full moons occur in the same month. The second full moon is typically called a blue moon.
The second definition of a blue moon relates to having an extra full moon during a season. When a season has four full moons, the third full moon of the season is also called a blue moon or a seasonal blue moon to help distinguish between the other definition.
There was not a calendar blue moon in 1978 because none of the months had 2 full moons that year.
Full Moons by Season in 1978
In 1978 most of the seasons had the typical 3 moons each except for Spring which had four.
The Equinoxes and Solstices in 1978 were on:
- Vernal Equinox (Spring): March 20, 1978 6:34 PM EST or 11:34 PM UTC
- Summer Solstice: June 21, 1978 2:10 PM EDT or 6:10 PM UTC
- Autumnal Equinox: September 23, 1978 5:26 AM EDT or 9:26 AM UTC
- Winter Solstice: December 22, 1978 12:21 AM EST or 5:21 AM UTC
Winter 1977-1978 Full Moons
Winter began in 1977 on December 21st and ended in 1978 on March 20th. The three full moons of Winter were:
- December 25, 1977: Full Cold Moon
- January 24, 1978: Full Wolf Moon
- February 22, 1978 (February 23 UTC): Full Snow Moon
Spring 1978 Full Moons
Spring in 1978 began on March 20th and ended on June 21st. There three full moons of Spring were:
- March 24, 1978: Worm Blood Moon
- April 22, 1978 (April 23 UTC) : Full Pink Moon
- May 22, 1978: Super Flower Blue Moon
- June 20, 1978: Super Strawberry Moon
Summer 1978 Full Moons
Summer began in 1978 on June 21st and ended on September 23rd. There three full moons of Summer were:
- July 19, 1978 (July 18th): Super Buck Moon
- August 18, 1978: Super Sturgeon Moon
- September 16, 1978: Super Harvest Blood Moon
The Harvest Moon occurred in Autumn in 1978 as the last full moon of Summer. In some years it will be the first full moon of Autumn.
Autumn 1978 Full Moons
Autumn in 1978 began on September 23rd and ended on December 22nd. There three full moons of Autumn were:
- October 16, 1978: Full Hunter’s Moon
- November 14, 1978: Full Beaver Moon
- December 14, 1978: Full Cold Moon
1978 Lunar Eclipses
In 1978 there were two total lunar eclipses: March 20th and September 16th. The September 16th lunar eclipse was also the last lunar eclipse during 1978.
There were two blood moons in 1978 because the March 20th and September 6th full moons occurred at the same time as the total lunar eclipse.
The March 20th full moon was called the Worm Blood Moon. The September 16th full moon was also a supermoon as well as the closest full moon to the Autumnal Equinox, making it a Super Harvest Blood Moon.
The blood moon nickname comes from the reddish hue the moon when the entire Moon is within the darkest darkest part of Earth’s shadow.
1978 Supermoons
In 1978 there were five supermoons: May 22nd, June 20th, July 19th, August 18th, and September 16th. The September 16th supermoon also coincided with a total lunar eclipse in 1978.
A full supermoon is a full moon that nearly coincides with the closest point that the Moon comes to the Earth in its orbit, called perigee. The moon has a larger-than-usual appearance when you look at it. There isn’t an official definition for how close the moon must be to the Earth to be considered a supermoon. Depending on the version you use, the moon needs to be approximately 360,000 kilometers from the Earth or closer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few frequently asked questions about the 1978 Full Moon Calendar to help you review the moons in the past.
There were 12 full moons in 1978 with one full moon each month and three full moons during most seasons except for Spring which had four.
No, in 1978 there was not a full moon on Christmas or Christmas Eve. The closest full moon before the holiday on December 14th. In other years a Christmas or Christmas Eve full moon will occur, but not in 1978.
No in 1978 there was not a full moon on Halloween. The closest full moon before the holiday was on October 16th. In other years there is a Halloween full moon, but not in 1978.
