The Hunter’s Moon is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon, and in 2026 it is full on Monday, October 26 at 12:12 AM Eastern. That is 11:12 PM Central, 10:12 PM Mountain and 9:12 PM Pacific on Sunday, October 25, so for most of the country the real show is Sunday night. It falls at 2°46’ Taurus, opposite the Sun in Scorpio, and it lands two days into Mercury retrograde.
Taurus is the sign of comfort and Scorpio is the sign of what you’d rather not look at. Put them opposite each other under a huge orange moon and you get a night for honest stock taking. Here’s when to see it, why it’s called the Hunter’s Moon, when it slides into November, and what this particular full moon asks of your sign.
Hunter’s Moon 2026 at a Glance
| Date | Monday, October 26, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Exact full moon | 12:12 AM Eastern, 11:12 PM Central, 10:12 PM Mountain, 9:12 PM Pacific (the last three on October 25) |
| Best nights to look | The evenings of October 25 and 26, facing east at sunset |
| Zodiac sign | Taurus, 2°46’ (Sun in Scorpio) |
| Mercury retrograde | Yes, October 24 to November 13 in Scorpio, with Venus retrograde too |
| Next full moon | The Beaver Moon, November 24, 2026, in Gemini |
When Is the Hunter’s Moon?
In 2026 the Hunter’s Moon reaches its exact full point at 4:12 AM UTC on October 26, which is 12:12 AM Eastern. Take four hours off UTC for Eastern daylight time, five for Central, six for Mountain and seven for Pacific, and you get 11:12 PM, 10:12 PM and 9:12 PM on Sunday, October 25 for the rest of the country. On the West Coast the Moon is full before you’ve finished dinner.
For your eyes, the exact minute matters less than the evening. The Moon is 97 percent lit on October 24, 100 percent on the 25th, 99 percent on the 26th and 97 percent on the 27th, so you have three good nights. The best is Sunday, October 25: in New York the Moon rises at 5:26 PM, half an hour before the 6:01 PM sunset, so you can watch it come up fat and orange while there’s still light in the sky. On Monday it rises at 5:58 PM, two minutes before sunset. Find an open view to the east and look low.
In 2027 the Hunter’s Moon comes early: Friday, October 15, 2027, at 9:47 AM Eastern, in Aries. In 2028 it skips to November 2. The dates table below shows why.
Why Is It Called the Hunter’s Moon?
The name comes from what people were doing under it. By the full moon after the Harvest Moon, the fields were cleared and the leaves had fallen, so animals were easier to spot in the open. Deer and other game had fattened up through summer and early fall, and a bright Moon rising soon after sunset gave hunters extra light to track them into the evening. The Old Farmer’s Almanac sums it up as the shift from gathering crops to preparing meat for winter.
It’s an old name. The Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest citation for “Hunter’s Moon” is from 1710, in a periodical called The British Apollo. Native nations have their own, more specific names for October’s moon. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the Drying Rice Moon (Dakota), the Falling Leaves Moon (Anishinaabe), the Freezing Moon or Ice Moon (Ojibwe and Haida) and the Migrating Moon (Cree). Other names in circulation are the Travel Moon, the Dying Grass Moon, the Blood Moon and the Sanguine Moon.
So if you’ve wondered what the October full moon is called: usually the Hunter’s Moon. In the years when October’s full moon is the one closest to the equinox, it takes the Harvest Moon name instead and September’s becomes the Corn Moon. That’s the rule in the next section.
Harvest Moon vs Hunter’s Moon
The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the September equinox. The Hunter’s Moon is simply the next one. That’s the whole rule, and it’s why the Hunter’s Moon has no fixed month.
Here’s the working for 2026. The equinox was September 23 at 12:06 AM UTC. The nearest full moons were August 28 (25.8 days before) and September 26 (3.7 days after). September 26 wins, so it was the Harvest Moon and October 26 is the Hunter’s Moon. If the equinox is your season’s reset button, our fall equinox rituals are the first half of this story.
For 2027 the equinox is September 23 at 6:02 AM UTC. The September 15 full moon is 7.3 days before it and the October 15 full moon is 22.3 days after, so September 15 is the Harvest Moon and October 15 is the Hunter’s Moon.
Some years the Harvest Moon falls in early October, and then the Hunter’s Moon gets pushed into November. It happened in 2025: the October 7 full moon was 14.4 days from the equinox and the September 7 one was 15.0 days, so October won by half a day and the Hunter’s Moon moved to November 5. It happens again in 2028, when the Harvest Moon is October 3 and the Hunter’s Moon is November 2.
What makes it special
The Hunter’s Moon is not bigger or brighter than any other full moon. What’s special is the timing of moonrise. On an average night the Moon rises about 50 minutes later than the night before. Around the Harvest and Hunter’s Moons, at latitudes like New York’s, that gap shrinks because the Moon’s path makes a shallow angle with the eastern horizon. Here are the real New York numbers for 2026:
| Night | Moonrise in New York | Later than the night before |
|---|---|---|
| October 24 | 4:59 PM | |
| October 25 | 5:26 PM | 27 minutes |
| October 26 | 5:58 PM | 32 minutes |
| October 27 | 6:39 PM | 41 minutes |
| October 28 | 7:30 PM | 51 minutes |
Three nights in a row with a big Moon up before or right at sunset. That’s the gift the hunters were using, and it’s yours too.
And no, it isn’t rare. There is a Hunter’s Moon every year, because there is always a full moon after the Harvest Moon. What varies is whether it lands in October or November, and which sign it falls in.
Hunter’s Moon Dates by Year
| Hunter’s Moon (Eastern) | Sign | Harvest Moon before it |
|---|---|---|
| October 26, 2026, 12:12 AM | Taurus, 2°46’ | September 26, 2026 |
| October 15, 2027, 9:47 AM | Aries, about 21° | September 15, 2027 |
| November 2, 2028, 5:17 AM | Taurus, about 10° | October 3, 2028 |
Each row was worked out the same way: find the full moon nearest the equinox, then take the next one. The 2026 degree comes from Cafe Astrology. The 2027 and 2028 degrees come from the Sun’s position (the Sun is at 0° Libra at the equinox and moves about a degree a day, and a full moon is always exactly opposite the Sun), cross checked against a lunar calendar for 2027. Full working is in the notes.
Notice the pattern: the Hunter’s Moon is almost always in Taurus or Aries, because the Sun is in Scorpio or late Libra when it happens. A Taurus Hunter’s Moon is about security. An Aries one is about courage. 2026 is the security kind.
Hunter’s Moon Spiritual Meaning
The Hunter’s Moon means preparation and focus. The harvest is in. Now you decide what you’re going after before the dark half of the year, and what you can let go of so you travel lighter. Mental Floss calls its themes introspection, preparation, completion and clarity, and that matches the tradition: this is the moon for finishing what you started and stocking up for winter, literally and emotionally.
It also sits close to Samhain, the Gaelic festival on November 1 that begins on the evening of October 31 and marks the end of the harvest season. In 2026 the Hunter’s Moon is five days before Halloween night, so the week runs from a big full moon straight into Samhain. In parts of India the same full moon is Sharad Purnima, when kheer is left out under the moonlight overnight. Different cultures, same instinct: sit under this one and pay attention.
Three questions to ask yourself under it:
- What am I hunting? Name the one thing you want to land before the year is out. One, not five.
- What is already in the pantry? List what you have: money, skills, people, habits that hold. Taurus wants you to count it.
- What can I stop carrying? The full moon is a peak, and peaks show you what’s too heavy. Put it down.
For where this moon sits in the wider cycle, our guide to moon phases and their spiritual meaning walks through all eight phases.
The Full Moon in Taurus: What It Means
Every full moon is a conversation between two opposite signs. On October 26, 2026 the Sun is at 2°46’ Scorpio and the Moon is at 2°46’ Taurus. Taurus is fixed earth, ruled by Venus: the body, money, comfort, what you own and what you can rely on. Scorpio is its opposite: what’s hidden, shared, intense, and overdue for an honest look. The full moon asks you to hold both. What do I need to feel secure, and what am I avoiding to keep feeling secure?
The timing adds weight. Mercury turned retrograde in Scorpio on October 24, two days before this moon, and stays retrograde until November 13. Venus has been retrograde since October 3 and turns direct the same day, November 13. Cafe Astrology also notes that the Sun sits with retrograde Venus and that the full moon squares Pluto. In plain words: the planet of talk and the planet of love and money are both moving backward, and the full moon is lit up by the planet of deep change.
That is not a disaster. It’s a review. Under this Hunter’s Moon, look again at money, your body and your loyalties before you decide anything. Don’t force a big decision this week; let the moon show you what’s true and act after November 13. Our Mercury retrograde guide has the full dates and what to double check. These are tendencies, not rules.
If your natal Moon is in Taurus, this full moon hits your own emotional home ground. Read what that means in our guide to the Taurus Moon.
What the Taurus Full Moon Means for Your Sign
Read your Sun sign, and your rising sign too if you know it. Houses counted whole sign from your Sun.
- AriesMoney and self worth peak. Check what you earn against what you’re worth. Nothing new is bought this week.
- TaurusThis is your full moon. Something about you, your body or your direction comes to a head. Rest before you decide.
- GeminiRest and your inner world. Something you kept private wants attention. Sleep is the ritual.
- CancerFriends and groups. Notice which circle feeds you and which drains you.
- LeoCareer and reputation. A project peaks. Finish it well; don’t chase the next one yet.
- VirgoTravel, study and beliefs. A plan feels ready. Confirm the details twice, since Mercury is retrograde.
- LibraShared money and intimacy. Have the honest conversation about what you owe and what you’re owed.
- ScorpioRelationships take center stage. Someone mirrors you. Listen before you answer.
- SagittariusWork and daily routines. Small fixes stick now. Big overhauls can wait.
- CapricornRomance, creativity and play. Something you make, or someone you like, wants a slower pace.
- AquariusHome and family. Make your space ready for winter. A family conversation resurfaces.
- PiscesCommunication and your neighborhood. Say the thing, in person, and reread the message before you send it.
For a more personal read, look at where 2° Taurus falls in your own chart. If you don’t know your rising sign, our free birth chart calculator gives you your Sun, Moon and rising signs.
3 Hunter’s Moon Rituals
- Stock the pantry. Taurus is literal, so start there: fill one shelf with food that keeps, make one warm meal and freeze half. Then do the emotional version. Write down the three people, two habits and one skill you can lean on this winter. That list is your pantry.
- Make the hunting list. Write “Before the year ends I am going after” at the top of a page and finish the sentence once. Under it, write the first step you can take after November 13, when Mercury and Venus are both direct. Fold it and keep it somewhere you’ll see it.
- Release by lantern light. Light a candle or a lantern, write what you’re done carrying on a scrap of paper, read it once out loud, then tear it up and wash your hands in cool water. The Moon does the rest.
Want more ideas? Our guide to full moon rituals has five simple ways to release and recharge under any full moon.
Hunter’s Moon FAQ
What does a hunter’s moon mean? Astronomically, it’s the first full moon after the Harvest Moon, usually October’s. Spiritually it means preparation and focus: finish what you started, count what you have and decide what you’re going after before the dark half of the year.
Is there a Hunter’s moon in 2026? Yes. The 2026 Hunter’s Moon is full on Monday, October 26 at 12:12 AM Eastern, which is Sunday night, October 25, at 9:12 PM Pacific. It’s in Taurus.
What is the October full moon called? Usually the Hunter’s Moon. Other names include the Drying Rice Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Freezing Moon, Migrating Moon, Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon and Blood Moon. In years when October’s full moon is the one closest to the equinox, it’s called the Harvest Moon instead.
Is Hunter’s moon rare? No. There is one every year, because there is always a full moon after the Harvest Moon. What changes is the month (October most years, November in some, such as 2025 and 2028) and the sign it falls in.
What is the rarest moon ever? Take January 31, 2018: NASA described it as a supermoon, the second full moon of the month (a Blue Moon) and a total lunar eclipse all at once, and called it a lunar trifecta. A Blue Moon on its own happens about every two and a half years on average.
What is so special about the Hunter’s moon? The moonrise timing. Around the Hunter’s Moon the Moon rises only a little later each night (27 to 41 minutes in New York in 2026 against an average of about 50), so you get several evenings in a row with a bright Moon up near sunset. It is not bigger or brighter than other full moons.
When is the Hunter’s Moon in 2027? Friday, October 15, 2027, at 9:47 AM Eastern, in Aries. It follows the September 15 Harvest Moon and falls inside the October 7 to 28, 2027 Mercury retrograde.
What sign is the Hunter’s Moon in? It changes every year. In 2026 it’s Taurus (2°46’), opposite the Sun in Scorpio. In 2027 it’s Aries, opposite the Sun in Libra. In 2028 it’s back in Taurus, on November 2.
“Count what you have, name what you’re hunting, and let the Moon light the way in.”
