Full Moon Names 2020: 13 Full Moons
Each full moon has a nickname. Here is a list of the Full Moon Names for 2020 based on the traditional Native American names.
A full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Earth is directly between the Sun and Moon so that the moon looks completely illuminated when you look at it. It happens about once a month or, 29.53 days on average in the middle of the lunar cycle.
In 2020 the full moon names were as follows:
- January 2020: Full Wolf Moon
- February 2020: Full Snow Moon
- March 2020: Full Worm Moon
- April 2020: Full Pink Moon
- May 2020: Full Flower Moon
- June 2020: Full Strawberry Moon
- July 2020: Full Buck Moon
- August 2020: Full Sturgeon Moon
- September 2020: Full Corn Moon
- October 2020: Full Harvest Moon
- October 2020 (end): Full Blue Moon (on Halloween)
- November 2020: Full Beaver Moon
- December 2020: Full Cold Moon
Continue reading below for more information about the 2020 Full Moon Names, their meanings, and dates.
The dates and times provided by NASA in United States Eastern Time (ET) account for both Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) for part of the year. Also included is the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time. This was previously referred to as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Since your local time zone may differ, the exact dates may shift slightly for your calendar.
The supermoons are based on the calculations by AstroPixels.
Full Moon Names 2020
In 2020 there were 13 full moons, each with a nickname or two. Here is a list of the 2020 full moons and their traditional names.
January 10, 2020: Full Wolf Moon
The January 2020 full moon name is one of many inspired by nature. The Full Wolf Moon, takes its name from the wolves howling at the moon. There are also a few other names that are also used for the January Full Moon including: the Old Moon, Ice Moon, Moon After Yule, and Full Snow Moon.
February 9, 2020: Full Snow Moon
The February 2020 full moon name, the Full Snow Moon, refers to the snow that frequently occurs at that time of year. It’s a fitting name for a moon that’s part of the Winter season. It is the next full moon of the year following January. Other nicknames for the February full moon include the Hunger Moon, Chaste Moon, and Storm Moon.
You may notice that an alternate nickname for the January Full Moon is also the Full Snow Moon. Sometimes the names overlap depending on the source.
March 9, 2020: Full Worm Moon
The March 2020 full moon name, the Full Worm moon, takes its name from the earthworms that start to reappear as the grown thaws at the end of the winter. The birds start to come back as spring approaches, with the Spring Equinox that happens each year towards the end of March.
Other nicknames for the March Full Moon include: Sap Moon, Crow Moon, Chaste Moon, Sugar Moon, and Lenten Moon.
Depending on the year, the Full Worm Moon could occur either at the end of Winter or the beginning of Spring. In 2020 it was part of the Winter season.
April 7, 2020: Full Pink Moon
The April 2020 full moon name, the Full Pink moon, comes from a pink herb moss that flowers at that time of year.
Other nicknames for April’s full moon include: the Seed Moon, Egg Moon, Full Sprouting Grass Moon, and Full Fish Moon. They all have a common tie to the spring season as new flowers start to bloom and the fish begin to spawn.
Depending on the year, the Full Pink Moon could either be the first or second full moon of Spring. In 2020 it was the first Spring Full Moon.
May 7, 2020: Full Flower Moon
The May 2020 Full Moon name probably isn’t a surprise: “April Showers bring May Flowers” as the saying goes. Welcome to spring and the flowers that come with the season.
While the April full moon name doesn’t reference rain, the May full moon matches the time-honored saying.
Other nickname for the May Full Moon include the Corn Planting Moon, and Milk Moon.
June 5, 2020: Full Strawberry Moon
The June 2020 Full Moon name is probably one you could have guessed if you like to pick strawberries in June. The Full Strawberry Moon fits nicely as summer approaches, and it’s time to enjoy this fruit.
Depending on the year, the Full Strawberry Moon could occur either at the end of Spring or the beginning of Summer, depending on if it happens before or after the Summer Solstice. In 2020 it was the last full moon of the Spring season.
Other nicknames for the June Full Moon include: Rose Moon, Mead Moon, and Honey Moon.
July 5, 2020: Full Buck Moon
The July 2020 Full Moon name is not likely one you would have immediately guessed. The Full Buck Moon takes its name from the time of year when antlers start to appear on male deer (bucks).
For 2020, it was the first full moon of the Summer season.
Other nicknames for July’s Full Moon include the Thunder Moon and Hay Moon.
August 3, 2020: Full Sturgeon Moon
The August 2020 Full Moon name might not have been your first guess. The Full Sturgeon Moon gets its name as sturgeon are caught in high numbers in North America’s Great Lakes at that time of year.
Other nicknames for the August Full Moon include the Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon, and Corn Moon.
September 2, 2020: Full Corn Moon
The September 2020 Full Moon name takes its inspiration from agriculture. The Full Corn Moon is nicknamed for when corn is usually harvested.
Depending on how close the September Full Moon is to the Autumn Equinox, the nickname for the full moon changes. In 2020 it was further away from the start of Fall than the October Full moon. In other years, the September Full Moon is called the Full Harvest Moon.
October 1, 2020: Full Harvest Moon
The October 2020 Full Moon name is both inspired by nature and agriculture as well as the timing of the Fall Equinox. In 2020, the October full moon was called the Full Harvest Moon because it was closer to the start of Autumn than September’s.
In other years, October’s Full Moon name is the Full Hunter’s Moon.
Another nickname for October’s full moon includes the Blood Moon.
October 31, 2020: Full Blue Moon, A Halloween Full Moon
The second October 2020 Full moon was called the Full Blue moon because it was the second full moon in a calendar month. It also happened to occur on Halloween, which adds to the rarity of the event.
November 30, 2020: Full Beaver Moon
The November 2020 Full Moon name was probably not your first guess. Inspired by nature, this nickname comes from the time when Native Americans and early settlers would set traps to catch beavers to have warm furs for the winter.
Another nickname for the November full moon is the Frosty Moon.
December 29, 2020 (December 30, 2020 UTC): Full Cold Moon
The December 2020 Full Moon name fits the month well given how the temperatures get colder with the official start of Winter.
Depending on the year, the Full Cold Moon can occur either at the end of the Autumn or just after the start of Winter, depending the timing with the Winter Solstice. In 2020, the Full Cold Moon was part of the Winter season.
Other nicknames for the December full moon include the Long Nights Moon and Oak Moon.
The 13 Full Moon Names from 2020
In 2020 there were 13 full moons, each with its own traditional name. There are also multiple names for each moon, depending on which list you refer to. The Native American names take their inspiration from nature.
The Full Moon Names for 2020 were:
- January: Full Wolf Moon
- February: Full Snow Moon
- March: Full Worm Moon
- April: Full Pink Moon
- May: Full Flower Moon
- June: Full Strawberry Moon
- July: Full Buck Moon
- August: Full Sturgeon Moon
- September: Full Corn Moon
- October (beginning): Full Harvest Moon
- October (end): Full Blue Moon
- November: Full Beaver Moon
- December: Full Cold Moon
It was an interesting year with an extra full moon as a Full Blue Moon on Halloween. And because the Harvest Moon occurred in October, the Full Corn Moon name was given to September’s Full Moon. More years than not, the Full Corn Moon name isn’t used.
There was a penumbral lunar eclipse during the November full moon, but not a Total Lunar eclipse during the year.
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