Moon

This year's Harvest Moon reaches full phase on September 26

This year's Harvest Moon occurs on Saturday, September 26, representing the lunar phase nearest to the autumn equinox, according to the Hindustan Times, which cites peak illumination at 12:49 p.m. EDT from The Old Farmer's Almanac.

BBC Sky at Night Magazine reports the moon rises around sunset that evening, and because the full moon falls so close to the equinox, the gap between successive moonrise times shrinks to as little as 10 minutes compared with the usual 50-minute average.

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Peak times differ by source and time zone#

The Economic Times gives peak illumination as 16:49 UTC, or 10:19 PM IST, while IndyStar reports the peak at 12:49 p.m. ET and says moonrise in the Indianapolis area begins around 7:24 p.m. before the moon sets at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

Noticias Ambientales places the full phase at 13:49 Argentinian time on September 26, four days after the equinox marking the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere on September 22, and reports that the moon will appear alongside Saturn and Neptune that night, with Saturn visible to the naked eye and Neptune requiring binoculars or a small telescope.

The Old Farmer's Almanac, cited by the Hindustan Times, says the moon will appear full for about three days, making September 25, 26 and 27 all viable nights for viewing depending on local weather.

Why farmers once relied on this moon#

The Harvest Moon takes its name from the extra light it once gave farmers working fields into the evening, before modern lighting was common, according to the Hindustan Times.

IndyStar reports that many Native American peoples in North America gathered corn, squash and other fall crops during this season, citing the Old Farmer's Almanac, and notes the same moon is sometimes called the Corn Moon.

BBC Sky at Night Magazine explains that because the Harvest Moon can fall in either September or October depending on the year, this year's full moon carries two names at once, the Corn Moon and the Harvest Moon, while next month's full moon will be called the Hunter's Moon.

Not a supermoon this time#

Noticias Ambientales reports this month's Harvest Moon will not be a supermoon, since that requires the full moon to coincide with perigee, the closest point in the moon's orbit to Earth, and the outlet says the next supermoons of 2026 are expected in November and December.

Nation.Cymru names Eryri National Park and Bannau Brycheiniog among the UK locations recommended for viewing this weekend's full moon, citing their dark skies and lack of light pollution.

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