full moon picture

Next full moon:

Countdown:

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will occur on , which is in from today.

The previous Full Moon was on .

Dates for the Full Moons can vary depending on time zones. All dates on this page are based on the local time in London, United Kingdom.

What is a Full Moon?

A Full Moon is when the Moon appears fully illuminated when looking at it from the Earth. This phase occurs when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all aligned with the Earth positioned between the Moon and the Sun.

As the Moon is constantly revolving around the Earth the Full Moon can only be observed for a short amount of time; when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all positioned on one same line. This is also why the Full Moon can occur during the day depending on the part of the planet you are located.

How often does a Full Moon occur?

A Full Moon occurs approximately once every 29.5 days, which is the time it takes the moon to make one complete revolution around the Earth, also known as a lunar month or synodic month.

During this lunar cycle, the appearance of the Moon changes depending on its position relative to the Earth and the Sun. As the Moon orbits the Earth, we observe a total of 8 Moon phases, including: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter and Waning Crescent.

A photo of the full moon visible in the sky above a tree
The Full Moon visible in the sky above a tree

How many Full Moons are there in a year?

Most calendar years have a total of 12 Full Moons, with one Full Moon occurring each month. However, some years, we can observe an extra Full Moon, resulting in 13 Full Moons in that particular year. This additional Full Moon is often called a Blue Moon.

When are all the Full Moons in 2023?

The year 2023 has a total of 13 Full Moons, scheduled on the dates listed below:

All dates are based on the local time in London, United Kingdom

A photo showing the changes in the Moon’s appearance throughout a lunar month
Changes in the Moon’s appearance throughout a lunar month. ©JCCC Astronomy

What are the different Moon phases?

In a lunar month (the time it takes the Moon to revolve around the Earth) the Moon passes through a series of 8 phases.

The four primary phases are New Moon, First Quarter Moon, Full Moon, and Third Quarter Moon.

And the four intermediate Moon phases are Waxing Crescent Moon, Waxing Gibbous Moon, Waning Gibbous Moon, and Waning Crescent Moon.

  1. New Moon: The moon is not visible from Earth as it is in alignment with the sun and its dark side faces us.
  2. Waxing Crescent: A small sliver of the moon's illuminated side becomes visible, growing larger each night.
  3. First Quarter (Waxing Half): Half of the moon's face is illuminated, and it appears as a half-circle in the sky.
  4. Waxing Gibbous: The majority of the moon's face is visible, but it is not yet fully illuminated.
  5. Full Moon: The entire face of the moon is visible from Earth, appearing as a bright, round disk in the night sky.
  6. Waning Gibbous: The illuminated portion of the moon starts to decrease after the full moon.
  7. Third Quarter (Waning Half): Half of the moon's face is illuminated, but it appears as a different half-circle than during the first quarter.
  8. Waning Crescent: A decreasing sliver of the moon's illuminated side is visible, getting smaller each night until it reaches the next new moon.

These are the eight phases that make up the complete lunar cycle.