Full Moon calendar for the selected year
The Full Moon Calendar above lists every Full Moon in the selected year using primary lunar-phase data from the U.S. Naval Observatory. Each row gives the date and Universal Time of the exact Full Moon phase. This is different from saying that the Moon looks full only at that instant. To the eye, the lunar disk can appear nearly full for more than one night because the illuminated fraction changes gradually around the exact phase. The calendar is therefore best used as the authoritative timing anchor, while local Moonrise, Moonset and observing conditions determine when you can actually see the Moon from your location.
A Full Moon occurs when the Moon is approximately opposite the Sun in the sky as seen from Earth. In terms of elongation, the Sun-Earth-Moon geometry places the illuminated hemisphere of the Moon almost completely toward us. The exact phase is a moment in time and can occur during daylight at your location or when the Moon is below your horizon. For local observing, combine the annual list with Moonrise & Moonset and the Moon Live Tracker.
Why Full Moon dates can differ by country
The official phase time is normally published in Universal Time. If the phase occurs close to midnight UT, the local calendar date may be different in Asia, Europe, the Americas or Oceania. That is why two reputable websites can appear to give different dates even though they refer to the same astronomical instant. The calendar preserves the universal event time so that there is one unambiguous reference. Your local tools then translate the Moon’s position and rise/set geometry for the place where you are observing.
The interval from one Full Moon to the next is the synodic month, averaging about 29.53 days. Because calendar months are longer or shorter than that interval, some months have two Full Moons and some Februarys can have none. The popular expression “Blue Moon” is often used for the second Full Moon in a calendar month, although other historical definitions also exist. The annual list makes these patterns easy to see without having to step through twelve separate monthly views.
Full Moon, Moon phase and illumination
Moon phase describes the geometry of the Sun, Earth and Moon, while illumination describes how much of the lunar disk appears sunlit from Earth. Near Full Moon, illumination approaches 100 percent, but the exact value in a simplified display can vary slightly depending on the model and whether topocentric or geocentric geometry is used. If you need tonight’s practical answer rather than the yearly schedule, use Full Moon Tonight or Moon Phase Tonight. For the next event only, When Is the Next Full Moon? provides a focused countdown-style view.
Bright Moonlight can significantly reduce contrast for faint stars, the Milky Way, meteor observing and deep-sky targets. A Full Moon can therefore be a disadvantage for some observing plans even though it is an attractive target itself. Before scheduling a dark-sky session, compare this annual calendar with Best Time to Stargaze Tonight and the Meteor Shower Calendar. A meteor-shower peak close to Full Moon may deliver fewer visible meteors because the sky background is brighter.
Authoritative phase data
The U.S. Naval Observatory Moon Phases service publishes the dates and Universal Times of New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon and Last Quarter for years from 1700 through 2100. SpaceTracker.live uses that official data source through a lightweight cached endpoint so the annual list does not depend on hard-coded Full Moon dates. If the reference service is temporarily unavailable, the page reports the problem rather than silently inventing a schedule.
Use this annual page when planning months ahead, then switch to the Moon Phase Calendar for a daily month grid and to the live Moon tools when the date approaches. That workflow keeps long-range planning, exact phase timing and local sky visibility separate but connected, which is more useful than treating one Full Moon date as the whole observing answer.
For photography, remember that the exact Full Moon instant is not automatically the best moment to photograph a moonrise. A dramatic low Moon depends on the local rise time, horizon direction, foreground and weather. Check the annual phase date first, then use the location-aware Moonrise & Moonset tool for the evening before, the phase date and the following evening to choose the composition and lighting you want.