Harvest Moon in 2026
When it occurs: The Harvest Moon—the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox—will occur on Saturday, September 26, 2026. It will reach peak illumination at 16:49 UTC (12:49 p.m. EDT).
When to see: Look for the Harvest Moon rising in the east around sunset on September 26, 2026. It will reach its highest point in the southern sky around midnight and set in the west around sunrise on September 27, 2026.
Provides extra moonlight: The Harvest Moon provides extra moonlight in the early evening because it rises only about 10 to 30 minutes later on consecutive evenings, instead of the usual 50 minutes.
This happens because the ecliptic—the path of the sun, moon, and planets across the sky—makes a narrow angle with the horizon on autumn evenings.
In 2026, the Harvest Moon rises about 15 minutes later on consecutive evenings in London and about 25 minutes later in New York City. Here are the moonrise times for both cities from September 24 to September 28, 2026. All times are local.
| Date | Moonrise in London | Moonrise in NYC |
|---|---|---|
| September 24 | 6:03 p.m. | 5:50 p.m. |
| September 25 | 6:15 p.m. | 6:12 p.m. |
| September 26 | 6:27 p.m. | 6:34 p.m. |
| September 27 | 6:40 p.m. | 6:58 p.m. |
| September 28 | 6:56 p.m. | 7:27 p.m. |
Why is it called the Harvest Moon?
As the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox provides a few days of extra evening moonlight, it traditionally helped farmers gather their crops after sunset, before the era of electric lights. Hence, it is called the Harvest Moon.
Why does the Harvest Moon appear orange?
The Harvest Moon appears orange when it is near the horizon because its light travels through a thick layer of Earth’s atmosphere.
The atmosphere scatters shorter wavelengths of light (like blue and violet) in all directions, allowing longer wavelengths of light (like red, orange, and yellow) to pass through the atmosphere to your eyes. However, this color change happens to any full moon or the sun when it is near the horizon, not just the Harvest Moon.
Harvest Moon from 2026 to 2030
Here are the dates and times for the Harvest Moon from 2026 to 2030:
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| September 26, 2026 | 16:49 UTC |
| September 15, 2027 | 23:04 UTC |
| October 3, 2028 | 16:25 UTC |
| September 22, 2029 | 16:29 UTC |
| September 11, 2030 | 21:18 UTC |
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