When is the next full moon? And what will the next full moon actually signify?
It has been used over and over in various fairy tales and movies in the modern world, and ancient myths and legends for even longer, but what exactly does the full moon do? Past werewolf stories and other magical lore, we wanted to cut to the truth and studies around it, from its effects to what the different phases of the moon mean for us.
There’s much more to know than you might think. For example, the moon is very rarely completely full, even if it might look like it. It’s only 100% full when the moon, Earth and the sun are perfectly aligned, producing a lunar eclipse. We also always see the same side of the moon, not both sides, due to the way that the moon rotates.
Here’s everything you need to know about the full moon, according to astrologists Noura Bourni and Betty Andrews.
What does a full moon mean?
The full moon occurs when the moon and the sun are on opposites sides of the Earth — this causes the sun’s light to reflect off of the entire surface of the moon, presenting us with what appears to be a complete sphere.
“The full moon is when it emerges in the night sky fully illuminated and appears as a full circle from the earth’s perspective,” Noura explains.
When is the next full moon?
The lunar cycle sees the moon go through all of its phases from the New Moon to the Full Moon and back again. It lasts roughly 29.5 days, which means that you can spot the full moon roughly once a month. However, because the lunar cycle is slightly shorter than the average month, the full moon rarely falls on the same date from month to month.
The upcoming full moon will occur on Friday, March 14, 2025, reaching its peak illumination at 7:55 a.m. GMT. This full moon coincides with a total lunar eclipse, often referred to as a “Blood Moon” due to the reddish hue the Moon takes on during the eclipse. The next full moon after this will occur on April 13, 2025.
When is the next supermoon?
The next supermoon will occur on October 7, 2025, marking the first in a series of three consecutive supermoons, with the others following on November 5 and December 4. A supermoon happens when the Moon reaches its full phase while at or near its closest point to Earth, known as perigee, making it appear larger and brighter than usual. In 2025, there will also be super new moons on March 29 and April 27, though these are not visible from Earth as the illuminated side faces away from us.
2025 full moon calendar
These are all the full moons that will grace our skies this year. Most were named by the Native Americans after cues from nature.
- 13 January 2025 (22:27): Wolf Moon
Named because the native Americans would hear wolves howl at night during the cold January nights. - 12 February 2025 (13:54): Snow Moon
A simple moon to name, due to the rate of snowfall this time of year. - 14 March 2025 (06:55): Worm Moon
It indicates the approach of spring, because the amount of earthworms spotted rising out of the soil begin to increase. - 13 April 2025 (01:23): Pink Moon
No, the full moon isn’t pink in April – this moon was named due to the beautiful pink flowers that bloom this time of year as spring arrives, including phlox and blossom. - 12 May 2025 (17:58): Flower Moon
Named due to the mass blooming of wildflowers during the month of May – a magical time. - 22 June 2025 (02:08): Strawberry Moon
As the berries began to ripen in North America and Canada, communities were inspired to name June’s full moon after them. - 10 July 2025 (21:38): Buck (or Thunder or Hay) Moon
Male deer (known as bucks or stags) shed their antlers, and they begin to regrow them in July, inspiring the naming of the Buck Moon. Others call July’s full moon a thunder moon due to the amount of summer storms during that month, or the hay moon after the July hay harvest. - 9 August 2025 (08:57): Sturgeon Moon
A simple one: there’s an increased amount of sturgeon (a species of fish) in lakes in north eastern America in August, prompting the full moon that month to be named after this occurrence. - 7 September 2025 (19:10): Harvest Moon
Named due to its proximity to the autumn equinox, and because the light from the full moon aiding farmers harvesting their crops. - 7 October 2025 (04:48): Hunter’s Moon
October’s full moon indicated the time to begin hunting in preparation for winter. - 5 November 2025 (13:20): Frost Moon or Beaver Moon
Falling around the time of the season’s first hard frost, and the time of year during which beavers build their winter dams by moonlight. N’aw. - 4 December 2025 (23:15): Cold Moon
“It’s called the cold moon because in the northern hemisphere we’re either a few weeks away from winter or have just entered it, thus it introduces the coldest months of the year,” Noura says.
What effects can we expect from a full moon?
Quite a lot, actually. It may serve you to make certain changes in line with the full moon.
