Full Corn Moon and Harvest Moon in September

The September Full Moon can be both the Harvest Moon and the Corn Moon. Most years, the Harvest Moon is in September, but around every three years, it’s in October.

A big, yellow Full Moon partially covered with clouds rising over a field of grains out of focus.

Corn is usually harvested around the September Full Moon, which is why one of the traditional names is Full Corn Moon.

©iStockphoto.com/michaelgwilson

Full Corn Moon and Harvest Moon 2024

Sep 17, 2024 at 10:34 pm

Full Corn Moon 2025

Sep 7, 2025 at 2:08 pm

Times for the Full Corn Moon vary by time zone. Times and dates are based on the local time in Washington DC. Change location

Most Years: Harvest Moon

Most years, the September Full Moon is the Harvest Moon. This particular name is given to the Full Moon closest to the September equinox.

The reason why the Harvest Moon varies is that the lunar month doesn’t line up with the equinox. Usually, the closest Full Moon occurs in September, but every three years or so, it falls in October. When the October Full Moon is not a Harvest Moon, it is known as the Hunter’s Moon.

Some Years: Corn Moon

The Full Moon in September also has traditional names; the most well-known one is the Full Corn Moon, Green Corn Moon or simply Corn Moon, from Native American tribes harvesting their corn around that time.

The Anglo-Saxon name is Harvest Moon, while Celtic and Old English names are Wine Moon, Song Moon, and Barley Moon.

12 Full Moon Names

The Full Moon has been integral to tracking the change of months and seasons since ancient times.

Some years have 13 Full Moons, which makes one of them a Blue Moon, as it doesn't quite fit in with the traditional Full Moon naming system.

Today, we use many of these ancient month names as Full Moon names, and many of them come from Colonial Americans adopting Native American names into their calendars.

Although the most commonly used Full Moon names are English interpretations of Native American names, some are also Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, medieval English, and Neo-Pagan.

Topics: Moon, September, Seasons, Full Moon Names