Wondering when were the full moons in 1981? Here’s the Full Moon Calendar 1981 to help you go back and look at the year’s 12 full moons, solstices, equinoxes, and full moon eclipses.

Full Moon Calendar 1981
In 1981, there were 11 full moons on the calendar. While there was a not a calendar blue moon, 1981 had a seasonal blue moon.
The February 1981 Full Moon was the third full moon in a winter season with four full moons so it was considered a seasonal blue moon.
As part of the January and July 1981 full moon there penumbral lunar full moon eclipses.
The dates and times are provided by NASA in Eastern Standard Time (EST) with Daylight Saving Time (DST) for part of the year. Also below is the Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) time. This was previously referred to at Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Month | Day of the week | Full Moon 1981 Date | UTC Time |
---|---|---|---|
January | Tuesday | January 20, 1981 02:39 EST | 07:39 UTC |
February | Wednesday | February 18, 1981 17:58 EST | 22:58 UTC |
March | Friday | March 20, 1981 11:22 EST | 16:22 UTC |
April | Sunday | April 19, 1981 03:59 EST | 08:59 UTC |
May | Monday | May 18, 20:04 20:45 EST | 01:04 UTC (May 19, 1981) |
June | Wednesday | June 17, 1981 11:05 EST | 16:05 UTC |
July | Friday | July 17, 1981 00:39 EST | 05:39 UTC |
August | Saturday | August 15, 1981 12:37 EST | 17:37 UTC |
September | Sunday | September 13, 1981 23:09 EST | 04:09 UTC (September 14, 1981) |
October | Tuesday | October 13, 1981 08:49 EST | 13:49 UTC |
November | Wednesday | November 11, 1981 17:26 EST | 22:26 UTC |
December | Friday | December 11, 1981 03:41 EST | 08:41 UTC |
1981 Equinoxes and Solstices
Below are the dates for the equinoxes and solstices from 1981. The Spring Equinox and March full moon fell on the same date. The peak of the full moon occurred a few hours prior to the equinox.
The Winter 1980-1981 season had four full moons because the peak of the December 1980 full moon occurred a few hours after the Winter Solstice and the March 1981 full moon peaked a few hours prior to the Spring Equinox. The February 1981 was considered a seasonal blue moon as it was the third full moon in a season with four full moons.
All of the other 1981 seasons had three full moons.
Month | Equinox/Solstice | 1981 Date | UTC Time |
---|---|---|---|
March | Vernal Equinox (Spring) | March 20, 1981 11:22 EST | 18:03 UTC |
June | Summer Solstice | June 21, 1981 07:45 EST | 12:45 UTC |
September | Autumn Equinox | September 22, 1981 23:05 EST | 04:05 UTC (September 23, 1981) |
December | Winter Solstice | December 21, 1981 17:51 EST | 22:51 UTC |