The 2026 Hunter’s Moon is the full moon of October 26, 2026, which reaches its full phase at 12:11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. In the Americas that means the best night to look is Sunday, October 25, when the nearly full Moon rises around sunset and stays up all night; in Europe, Africa and Asia the full phase falls on the morning or afternoon of Monday, October 26.
The Hunter’s Moon is the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon closest to the September equinox. Its Anglo-Saxon name comes from the tradition of hunting and preserving meat in October to prepare for winter. About every three years the Harvest Moon itself falls in October, and the Hunter’s Moon name then moves to November’s full moon. Other names for the October full moon include Falling Leaves Moon, Drying Rice Moon and Freezing Moon.
Sources: timeanddate.com: Moon Phases 2026 for New York and timeanddate.com: Traditional Full Moon Names
Image: Full Moon, photo by Gregory H. Revera, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.