The Harvest Moon 2027 reaches full at 7:03 p.m. EDT (23:03 UTC) on Wednesday, September 15. It falls on Thursday, September 16, from the UK eastward, and it is the full moon nearest the September 23 equinox.
The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the September equinox, not simply the full moon of September. In 2027, that is the full moon of Wednesday, September 15, in every US time zone, which comes 7 days and 7 hours before the equinox at 2:02 a.m. EDT on Thursday, September 23.
Its signature is the timing of moonrise: in New York the Moon rises only 21 to 26 minutes later each evening from September 14 to 18, compared with about 70 minutes later each evening around the spring full moons.
The 2027 Harvest Moon also falls during Chuseok in Korea and on the Mid-Autumn Festival in China.
This page gives the exact time in every US time zone, moonrise times night by night, the Harvest Moon dates from 2026 to 2031, including the year it moves to October, and how the name works.
Table of Contents
When is the Harvest Moon 2027?
The Harvest Moon 2027 is full at 23:03 UTC on Wednesday, September 15, 2027, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. Moonblink gives 23:03:31 UTC, which rounds to the same minute.
The table below converts it to US and international time zones.
| Time zone | Harvest Moon 2027 (exact full moon) |
|---|---|
| UTC | Wednesday, September 15, 11:03 p.m. |
| US Eastern | Wednesday, September 15, 7:03 p.m. EDT |
| US Central | Wednesday, September 15, 6:03 p.m. CDT |
| US Mountain | Wednesday, September 15, 5:03 p.m. MDT |
| US Pacific | Wednesday, September 15, 4:03 p.m. PDT |
| Alaska | Wednesday, September 15, 3:03 p.m. AKDT |
| Hawaii | Wednesday, September 15, 1:03 p.m. HST |
| London | Thursday, September 16, 12:03 a.m. BST |
| India | Thursday, September 16, 4:33 a.m. IST |
| Sydney | Thursday, September 16, 9:03 a.m. AEST |
The 2027 Harvest Moon falls on Wednesday, September 15, in the Americas, but on Thursday, September 16, from the UK eastward.
In London, it misses September 15 by only 3 minutes, arriving at 12:03 a.m. BST. The full moon before it is the Sturgeon Moon of Tuesday, August 17, and the next is the Hunter’s Moon of Friday, October 15.
Harvest Moon moonrise times in US cities
In New York, the Harvest Moon rises at 6:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 15, and becomes full 18 minutes later, at 7:03 p.m., two minutes before sunset.
The table below gives moonrise and sunset on the evening of the full moon and the evening after for four US cities, from the Naval Observatory’s rise and set data.
| City | Wednesday, September 15: moonrise (lit) | Wednesday, September 15: sunset | Thursday, September 16: moonrise (lit) | Thursday, September 16: sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (EDT) | 6:45 p.m. (100%) | 7:05 p.m. | 7:06 p.m. (99%) | 7:04 p.m. |
| Chicago (CDT) | 6:40 p.m. (100%) | 7:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. (99%) | 6:58 p.m. |
| Denver (MDT) | 6:51 p.m. (100%) | 7:09 p.m. | 7:13 p.m. (99%) | 7:07 p.m. |
| Los Angeles (PDT) | 6:45 p.m. (100%) | 7:00 p.m. | 7:11 p.m. (99%) | 6:58 p.m. |
On September 15, the Moon rises 15 to 20 minutes before sunset in all four cities. On September 16 it rises only 2 to 13 minutes after sunset, so for two evenings running the full or nearly full Moon is up as the sky gets dark.
Why the Harvest Moon rises early night after night
The Moon rises later each day because it moves east around Earth. On average, the delay is about 50 minutes, but it varies with the angle the Moon’s path makes with the horizon.
Around the September equinox, that angle is shallow in the evening for northern observers, so the full moon rises only about 30 minutes later each night instead of the usual 50, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The almanac says this run of bright early evenings helped farmers finish their harvests before the autumn frosts.
The Naval Observatory’s moonrise times for New York show the effect in 2027:
| Evening in New York | Moonrise (EDT) | Later than the night before | Sunset (EDT) | Share of disc lit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, September 14 | 6:24 p.m. | 7:07 p.m. | 98% | |
| Wednesday, September 15 | 6:45 p.m. | 21 minutes | 7:05 p.m. | 100% |
| Thursday, September 16 | 7:06 p.m. | 21 minutes | 7:04 p.m. | 99% |
| Friday, September 17 | 7:29 p.m. | 23 minutes | 7:02 p.m. | 97% |
| Saturday, September 18 | 7:55 p.m. | 26 minutes | 7:00 p.m. | 93% |
For comparison, Datescal’s pages on the spring full moons, from the same Naval Observatory data, show the Moon rising 72 minutes later on the evening after the March 21 Worm Moon evening and 70 minutes later on the evening after the April 20 Pink Moon.
From September 14 to 18, 2027, the Moon in New York rises within an hour of sunset on every evening.
Harvest Moon dates for 2026 to 2031
The Harvest Moon is whichever full moon falls nearest the September equinox, so it usually falls in September but sometimes in October.
The table below shows the Harvest Moon for each year from 2026 to 2031, from the Naval Observatory’s tables for 2026, 2028, 2029, 2030 and 2031, with equinox times calculated with the Astropy astronomy software library; the 2027 equinox time is from Datescal’s First Day of Fall page.
| Year | Harvest Moon (Eastern Time) | Pacific Time | UTC | Equinox (UTC) | Days from equinox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Saturday, September 26, 12:49 p.m. EDT | Saturday, September 26, 9:49 a.m. PDT | Sep 26, 16:49 | Sep 23, 00:05 | 3.7 after |
| 2027 | Wednesday, September 15, 7:03 p.m. EDT | Wednesday, September 15, 4:03 p.m. PDT | Sep 15, 23:03 | Sep 23, 06:02 | 7.3 before |
| 2028 | Tuesday, October 3, 12:25 p.m. EDT | Tuesday, October 3, 9:25 a.m. PDT | Oct 3, 16:25 | Sep 22, 11:45 | 11.2 after |
| 2029 | Saturday, September 22, 12:29 p.m. EDT | Saturday, September 22, 9:29 a.m. PDT | Sep 22, 16:29 | Sep 22, 17:38 | 0.05 before |
| 2030 | Wednesday, September 11, 5:18 p.m. EDT | Wednesday, September 11, 2:18 p.m. PDT | Sep 11, 21:18 | Sep 22, 23:26 | 11.1 before |
| 2031 | Tuesday, September 30, 2:58 p.m. EDT | Tuesday, September 30, 11:58 a.m. PDT | Sep 30, 18:58 | Sep 23, 05:15 | 7.6 after |
In 2028, the Harvest Moon falls in October. The September 3, 2028, full moon comes 18.5 days before the equinox, while the October 3 full moon comes 11.2 days after it, so October’s full moon takes the name.
In 2029, the Harvest Moon comes only about an hour before the equinox, on Saturday, September 22.
What is the Harvest Moon?
The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the September equinox, the start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.
Like every full moon, it is the instant the Moon stands opposite the Sun, so its whole Earth-facing side is lit. It is not bigger or brighter than other full moons; what sets it apart is the short gap between successive moonrises.
How the Harvest Moon name works
Most full moon names belong to a month. The Harvest Moon belongs to the equinox instead, so it replaces the usual name of September’s full moon, the Corn Moon, in most years, and October’s, the Hunter’s Moon, in years like 2028.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac gives the Harvest Moon as the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, and Datescal’s Full Moon Calendar 2027, citing Wikipedia, uses the same definition. When the Harvest Moon falls in September, as in 2027, the following full moon is the Hunter’s Moon.
Other names for the September full moon
The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists these September full moon names, with the peoples it attributes them to:
| Name | Attributed to |
|---|---|
| Corn Maker Moon | Western Abenaki |
| Corn Harvest Moon | Dakota |
| Autumn Moon | Cree |
| Falling Leaves Moon | Ojibwe |
| Leaves Turning Moon | Anishinaabe |
| Moon of Brown Leaves | Lakota |
| Yellow Leaf Moon | Assiniboine |
| Child Moon | Tlingit |
| Mating Moon, Rutting Moon | Cree |
The 2027 Harvest Moon’s distance and zodiac sign
The 2027 Harvest Moon is 399,356 km from Earth at full, according to Moonblink, the fourth-farthest full moon of 2027 after the July, August and June full moons. It is not a supermoon.
At the Harvest Moon, the Sun is in Virgo, so the Moon stands opposite it in Pisces; in astrology, this is the full moon in Pisces. The Sun moves into Libra at the equinox, 2:02 a.m. EDT on September 23.
Chuseok, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the 2027 Harvest Moon
East Asia’s harvest festivals fall on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which lands near the full moon closest to the September equinox.
- Korea: Chuseok, Korea’s harvest festival, runs from Tuesday, September 14, to Thursday, September 16, 2027, with the main day on Wednesday, September 15, according to PublicHolidays.co.kr and Dallyeok.
- China: The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Wednesday, September 15, 2027, according to Examine China. In Beijing, the astronomical full moon comes the next morning, at 7:03 a.m. CST on Thursday, September 16, because the lunar calendar counts the 15th day from the new moon of September 1, Beijing time.
How to see the Harvest Moon
The Harvest Moon is visible to the naked eye wherever the sky is clear. These steps give the best view in the United States:
- Pick any evening from Tuesday, September 14, to Friday, September 17, 2027; on each, the Moon rises close to sunset.
- On Wednesday, September 15, face east about 20 minutes before sunset; in the four cities above, the Moon rises between 6:40 and 6:51 p.m. local daylight time.
- Watch it climb through twilight while it is still low over the eastern horizon.
- On Thursday, September 16, look east just after sunset, when the 99%-lit Moon rises between 7:00 and 7:13 p.m. local time.
What the Harvest Moon is not
Several terms are linked to the September full moon. The table below sets out the differences.
| Term | What it means | Relation to the 2027 Harvest Moon |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest Moon | The full moon nearest the September equinox | Wednesday, September 15, 2027 |
| Corn Moon | Traditional name for September’s full moon | Replaced by the Harvest Moon name in 2027 |
| Hunter’s Moon | The full moon after the Harvest Moon | Friday, October 15, 2027 |
| September equinox | The Sun crossing the celestial equator heading south | Thursday, September 23, 2027, 7 days after the Harvest Moon |
| Supermoon | A full moon near the Moon’s closest point to Earth | No; 2027’s only supermoon is January 22 |
| A bigger Moon | A full moon that looks larger than usual | No; at 399,356 km it is the fourth-farthest full moon of 2027 |
Frequently asked questions
When is the Harvest Moon in 2027?
The Harvest Moon in 2027 is on Wednesday, September 15, at 7:03 p.m. EDT (23:03 UTC), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. In Pacific Time, it falls at 4:03 p.m. PDT. In the UK, India, and Australia, it falls on Thursday, September 16. In New York, it rises at 6:45 p.m. EDT on September 15.
Why is the September 15 full moon the Harvest Moon in 2027?
The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the September equinox. In 2027, the equinox falls at 2:02 a.m. EDT on September 23. The September 15 full moon comes about 7 days before it, while the October 15 full moon comes about 22 days after, so September’s full moon is the Harvest Moon.
Why does the Harvest Moon rise so early?
Around the September equinox, the Moon’s evening path meets the horizon at a shallow angle, so it rises only about 30 minutes later each night instead of the usual 50, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. In New York in 2027, the Moon rises just 21 to 26 minutes later each evening from September 14 to 18.
Is the Harvest Moon always in September?
No. It is the full moon nearest the September equinox, so it can fall in October. In 2028, the Harvest Moon is on Tuesday, October 3, because that full moon is 11.2 days after the equinox, while the September 3 full moon is 18.5 days before it.
When is the Harvest Moon in 2028?
The 2028 Harvest Moon is on Tuesday, October 3, 2028, at 12:25 p.m. EDT (16:25 UTC), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory full moon tables. The 2029 Harvest Moon falls on Saturday, September 22, about an hour before the September equinox.
What sign is the Harvest Moon in 2027?
The 2027 Harvest Moon is in Pisces. At full moon, the Moon sits opposite the Sun, and on September 15, 2027, the Sun is in Virgo, which it leaves for Libra at the equinox on September 23. In astrology, this is called the full moon in Pisces.
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