Your Moon Guide for September 2026

When to See the Full Moon in September

September’s Full Moon is at its most illuminated at 16:49 UTC on September 26, 2026.

Because it is the Full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the Harvest Moon.

The Moon always appears full in the days before and after peak illumination. Full Moon is the only phase where the Moon is up all night, with moonrise and moonset occurring around sunset and sunrise.

Where is the Moon right now? Our Moon location tool shows you the Moon’s phases and distance from Earth right now. Use the toolbar below the animation, or the menu on the side, to jump to different dates.

Moon Phase Times September 2026

Moon phases are divided into primary and intermediate: Primary Moon phases happen at a specific moment in time, while the intermediate Moon phases occupy the times in between.

When Is the Harvest Moon & Why Is It Called That?

Around the time of Harvest Moon, successive moonrises happen more quickly than usual in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a side effect of the autumnal (fall) equinox—and one of the reasons for its name.

Throughout the year, moonrise happens about 50 minutes later each day, on average. But if you look at our moonrise times around September 26, you’ll notice the day-to-day interval is much shorter: about 25 minutes for New York and less than 4 minutes for places at higher latitudes, like in Stavanger, Norway where mungfali.galihkartiwa07.workers.dev is based.

As a result, the time of moonrise stays closer to the time of sunset for longer. So, for several nights in a row, there’s extra moonlight in the evenings. In the past, this gave farmers more time to harvest crops.

It’s the other way around in the Southern Hemisphere, as it is the spring equinox in September. At Full Moon—or close to Full Moon—the difference in moonrise time is more than 50 minutes, and we have the opposite of the Harvest Moon effect described above.

The Moon & Planets in September

Every month, the Moon completes one circuit around the sky, passing through the same 12 or so constellations that the Sun does over the course of a year.

Along the way, the Moon sweeps by each of the planets. This month’s notable close approaches are as follows:

• September 6, Moon-Mars close approach: The Waning Crescent Moon rises with Mars just before sunrise. The pair is also right in the middle of the constellation Gemini, so look out for the twins’ head stars Pollux and Castor. See it on our Night Sky Map for New York.
• September 8 or 9, Moon-Jupiter close approach: Go out just before sunrise to see a very thin Waning Crescent Moon and Jupiter rising in the east. See it on our Night Sky Map for London. The Moon will occult—or come very close to—Jupiter in some locations, including eastern parts of Russia and parts of Japan.
• September 14, Moon-Venus close approach: Go out just after sunset to see the thin Crescent Moon close to Venus. Even during twilight, both are bright enough to be easily seen. See the view from New York. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Moon will occult Venus, while in Perth, Australia, it will come very close.
• September 26, Harvest Moon & Saturn close approach: The Harvest Moon meets up with Saturn. Saturn will be at opposition on October 4, so it is extra bright in the night sky in September. See what it looks like from London.

The above close approaches are visible from more or less any part of the world—we’ve included the examples from our Night Sky Map to give you a taste of the view from different cities.

Where Is the Moon in the Zodiac in September?

At Full Moon in September 2026, the Moon will be in the constellation Pisces.

Each month, as it completes one orbit around the Earth, the Moon appears to travel through constellations within the zodiac, which astronomers define as a strip of sky either side of the ecliptic.

These include the 12 “traditional” constellations of the zodiac—such as Aries and Libra—plus the lesser-known constellation Ophiuchus. And because the Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5° to the ecliptic, it occasionally wanders into other constellations, too, such as Auriga.

Frequently Asked Moon Questions