Full Moon 2022 calendar: Dates, times, schedule, and names for the brightest nights all year
Here’s everything you need to know about 2022’s Full Moons.
Have you met the Moon?
Sure, you think you know the Earth’s celestial companion in all its waxing and waning iterations. But do you really know it? In 2022, the Moon is worth getting to know again, but this time in a whole new way.
To the naked eye, the Full Moon is a chalky white orb pocked with gray craters, and though we can’t see it, we know a cheeky American flag is planted there (along with a bunch of trash — thank you, NASA).
But those gray craters are actually solid lava floes standing out against anorthite, a white mineral in the Moon’s crust. Armed with a telescope, you can see the Full Moon transform into the complex face of another object in space, hanging in our sky.
Each Full Moon has various names, and some are bestowed extra nicknames, too, depending on when they occur. For example, there is the Blue Moon, the name given to a second Full Moon occurring within a calendar month. This phenomenon graces our skies about once each year — but not in 2022.
There are also Supermoons, lunar eclipses, and more to watch out for. Here are the dates and times of every Full Moon in 2022, and how to see them at their best and brightest.
Wolf Moon: January 17, 2022
The moon’s gray patches are ancient, solidified lava floes.
Give a hearty howl in celebration of a new year and a new lunar wonder! The first Full Moon of 2022 reaches its zenith on Monday, January 17 at 6:48 p.m. Eastern.
The initial Full Moon of a calendar year has been nicknamed the Wolf Moon, but some people call it the Ice Moon, or even the Moon after Yule.
Snow Moon: February 16, 2022
Author Alice McDermott writes in The Ninth Hour that an afternoon in February may be the perfect time for despair, so it is perhaps apt that the Full Moon for February is also named the Snow Moon.
This Full Moon has other nicknames that are equally dark and icy — it is also known as the Storm Moon and the Hunger Moon.
This Full Moon rises on Wednesday, February 16 at 11:57 a.m. Eastern.
Worm Moon: March 18, 2022
Just as the Spring Equinox dawns, so too does the Worm Moon.
The Full Moon in March will occur on Friday, March 18 at 3:17 a.m. Eastern.
Also nicknamed the Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Sugar Moon, and the Lenten Moon, this Full Moon is a harbinger of spring.
The Spring Equinox is on Sunday, March 20 at 11:33 a.m. Eastern.
Pink Moon: April 16, 2022
The spring Pink Moon, so named for the pink blooms of the phlox flower found all over America, rises Saturday, April 16 at 2:55 p.m. Eastern.
The Pink Moon is also nicknamed the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon.
(Spoiler: This Full Moon is not actually colored pink, sorry.)
The moon’s gray patches are ancient, solidified lava floes.
Flower Moon: May 16, 2022
Pink Moon showers bring May Moon Flowers!
This year’s Flower Moon will be in our skies on Monday, May 16 at 12:14 a.m. Eastern.
The Flower Moon is also called Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon.
Barely a moment before it reaches its full zenith, however, there will also be a total lunar eclipse at 12:11 a.m. Eastern on the very same day.
NASA explains that when there is a total lunar eclipse, the “Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of Earth.” Essentially, the Earth acts like a giant block, cutting out the light from the Sun reaching the Moon and obscuring it from view.
Strawberry Moon: June 14, 2022
2022’s Strawberry Moon will also be a Supermoon.
This juicy Full Moon is in honor of all the ripening berries that make summer desserts so delicious.
You can see the Strawberry Moon on Tuesday, June 14 at 7:52 a.m. Eastern. This month's Full Moon is also called Mead Moon and Honey Moon.
June’s Full Moon also coincides with a Supermoon. The Moon will be at one of its closest points to Earth all year at 7:21 p.m. Eastern.
A Supermoon occurs when the Moon is both full and particularly close to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point known as the perigee.
“At its closest point, it is 226,000 miles from Earth, and the [Super] Moon appears about 17 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the faintest Moon of the year,” according to NASA’s website.
Also, this month, look out for the Summer Solstice, which is on Tuesday, June 21, at 5:14 a.m. Eastern.
Buck Moon: July 13, 2022
Named for the summer regrowth of deer and elk antlers shed in the winter, the Buck Moon rises on Wednesday, July 13 at 2:37 p.m. Eastern.
This month’s Moon is also called the Thunder Moon, Hay Moon, Mead Moon, and the Rose Moon.
This is also a Supermoon, with the Moon reaching its closest point to Earth at 5:08 a.m. Eastern.
The moon at various stages during an eclipse.
Sturgeon Moon: August 11, 2022
The Sturgeon Moon makes a splash on Thursday, August 11 at 9:36 p.m. Eastern.
The Sturgeon Moon is also called the Green Corn Moon.
Harvest Moon: September 10, 2022
Reap what you have sown as the Harvest Moon rises on Saturday, September 10 at 5:59 a.m. Eastern.
This is also called Corn Moon, Fruit Moon, Barley Moon, and Hungry Ghost Moon.
The Harvest Moon is the name given to describe either the September or October Full Moon — which Full Moon earns the monicker actually depends on the timing of the Fall Equinox. Whichever month’s Full Moon is closest to the Equinox earns the title — and in 2022, September wins the battle.
The Fall Equinox is on Thursday, September 22, at 9:04 p.m. Eastern.
Blood Moon: October 9, 2022
A Super Blood Moon in May 2021.
The ominously named Blood Moon comes a little early to coincide with Halloween this year. The Blood Moon will instead occur on Sunday, October 9 at 4:55 p.m. Eastern.
The Blood Moon is also nicknamed the Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, Hunter’s Moon, and the Sanguine Moon (which is a fancy way to say “blood red”).
Frost Moon: November 8, 2022
The Frost Moon is a good reminder for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to hunker down for the coming winter.
In 2022, the Frost Moon will be at its brightest on Tuesday, November 8 at 6:02 a.m. Eastern.
November’s Full Moon is also called the Beaver Moon and the Snow Moon.
This year, the Frost Moon features yet another total lunar eclipse, which will be at its peak at 5:59 a.m. Eastern on the same morning.
Cold Moon: December 7, 2022
The final Full Moon of 2020 peaks early this month, shining at its pearly brightest on Wednesday, December 7 at 11:08 p.m. Eastern.
The final Full Moon of the year is also called Oak Moon, the Moon before Yule, and Long Night Moon — but it doesn’t coincide with the actual longest night of the year in 2022.
The Winter Solstice is Wednesday, December 21 at 4:48 p.m. Eastern.
How to see the Full Moon in 2022
You don’t need any special equipment to enjoy the Full Moon.
When it comes to beholding the Moon every month, you have a few options beyond the naked eye. But if you are looking up with the naked eye, then the further you get from light pollution the better. Less light interference means that the Moon will shine bright and unoccluded (unless there are clouds, unfortunately, those can’t be helped).
The best place to view the Moon may be a spacious area, and at a height, so that the Moon won't be blocked by buildings or trees.
A quick glance out the window is nice, but there are more sophisticated methods than looking up. If you're looking to use equipment, binoculars are a good starting point for amateur lunar watchers. Star-gazing binoculars ought to have objective lenses with a diameter of 50 mm.
If you’re gunning for a telescope, it may be simplest to buy one with a smaller aperture — between two and three inches — as these tend to be the easiest to set up. Look for one that has 50 times magnification power for each inch of the aperture of your objective lens for the crispest views.
Then again, no matter where you are or what kit you might have to see it, if you step outside on the right night and look up, the Full Moon will be pretty darn amazing, all 2022 long.
