Moon phase · 5 of 8
The Full Moon
A full moon is the phase at the middle of the cycle, when the Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon and the whole near side shows fully lit, rising at sunset and crossing the sky all night.
The facts
The full moon at a glance
| Order in the cycle | 5th of 8, after the waxing gibbous, before the waning gibbous |
| Illumination | 100 percent, an exact instant |
| Days after the new moon | About day 14.8 of the 29.5 day cycle |
| Rises and sets | Rises around sunset, sets around sunrise |
| Best viewing | Visible all night |
| Lit side | The whole near side is lit |
| How long it lasts | The moment is an instant; the Moon looks full for two or three nights |
Timing figures follow the U.S. Naval Observatory and NASA. The four quarter moments are instants; the phases between them are spans of nights.
The science
What is a full moon?
At full moon the Moon sits opposite the Sun, with the Earth in between. The whole day side faces us, so the disc rises around sunset, crosses the sky through the night, and sets around sunrise. Opposition is an exact instant, but to the eye the Moon looks full for two or three nights running. When the lineup is exact enough that the Moon passes through Earth's shadow, you get a lunar eclipse.
The reading
What does a full moon mean?
The full moon is the peak and the reveal. Whatever the cycle grew is now as visible as it will get, and moon lore reads this as the night of culmination: results land, feelings surface, and things hidden since the new moon stand in plain light. It favors being seen, finishing, and letting go of what is complete.
Your Primal Zodiac Animal is what we call your Zodi Animal, and each of the 144 stands in the full light differently. Reveal your animal for the version keyed to your nature, or see which sign the Moon is in tonight.
Keeper stones
Your keeper stone in this phase
In the stone rooms, the full moon is the charging night. Moonstone, selenite, and clear quartz are the stones most often set out under it, a convention of keepers rather than a property of the rock. Selenite even carries the night in its name: it is named for Selene, the Greek goddess of the Moon. Set your stones on a sill where the light falls and collect them in the morning.
The five elements
The full moon among the elements
Chinese tradition maps the five elements to planets and seasons, not to moon phases, so we will not pretend otherwise. In the Zodi reading, ours alone, the full moon keeps company with Fire, the element of peak light: the cycle at its brightest and most visible. Walk the element halls and see where your own animal stands.
Fire 火 huǒ · Wood 木 mù · Water 水 shuǐ · Earth 土 tǔ · Metal 金 jīn
The Chinese calendar
This moon in the Chinese calendar
In the Chinese calendar the full moon falls mid-month, on the 15th or 16th day, because every month begins at the new moon. The great lunar festivals sit on full moons for that reason.
The Lantern Festival closes the New Year season on the first full moon of the year. Mid-Autumn Festival, 中秋节 (Zhōngqiū Jié), is held at the full moon of the eighth month, a night for gathering, lanterns, and mooncakes.
Common questions
Questions about the full moon
How long does a full moon last?
The full moon is an exact instant, the moment the Moon sits directly opposite the Sun. To the eye it looks full for two or three nights, which is why full moon nights come as a short run rather than a single evening.
Why does the full moon rise at sunset?
Because it sits opposite the Sun. As the Sun goes down in the west, the point opposite it comes up in the east, carrying the full moon with it. That is also why it stays up all night and sets around sunrise.
What does it mean to be born under a full moon?
In moon lore, people born under a full moon are the open books, expressive, visible, and hard to hide. Cross that with your birth date and you get something more specific: your Zodi Animal, one creature out of 144.
The cycle
Before and after
The full moon follows the waxing gibbous moon and leads into the waning gibbous moon. All eight phases live on the moon phases page, in order, and tonight's sky is read on the Moon tonight.