ChronoWaves
Year of Full Moons Timeline
Follow every new moon, quarter and full moon through 2016, with familiar seasonal names and eclipse markers.
The lunar year at a glance
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Why the phases drift through our months
A lunar phase cycle lasts about 29.5 days, while calendar months last 28 to 31 days. The two patterns never lock together neatly, so a full moon slides to a different date each month and occasionally a calendar month contains two.
A “Blue Moon” on this page means the second full moon in one calendar month. That is the modern monthly definition; other traditions use the term differently.
The names carried by full moons
Names such as Wolf Moon, Strawberry Moon and Beaver Moon are popular seasonal labels rather than official astronomical terms. NASA notes that the Maine Farmers' Almanac began publishing one widely repeated collection of Native American names in the 1930s. Other cultures and calendars have their own names, festivals and meanings, so this timeline presents one familiar modern set rather than a universal system.
Months began with the Moon
Many calendars followed visible lunar cycles, making the phases practical markers for ceremony, agriculture and timekeeping.
Sky knowledge travelled
Almanacs gathered phase dates, seasonal guidance and names into compact annual references for everyday readers.
Moments, not just dates
Astronomical calculations now express each phase as a precise instant that occurs simultaneously worldwide, shown here in UTC.
Background: NASA: Eclipses and the Moon, NASA: Full-moon names and traditions, and U.S. Naval Observatory data services. ChronoWaves phase times and eclipse markers are calculated estimates; consult NASA/USNO event catalogues for precision observing.