A Full Moon Is Lighting Up Canadian Skies In September But It's On 2 Different Days

The moon's going through a bit of an identity crisis.

Lisa Belmonte


Emilia Niedźwiedzka | Unsplash


This is pretty unique! The September full moon is actually happening on two different days in Canada depending on where you live. Since it's happening so early in the month, Earth's natural satellite is going through a bit of an identity crisis.

Depending on what part of the country you live in, this month's full moon will reach its peak on different days.

For Western Canada, it will be full on September 1 which means residents get to see it before the rest of the country.

It will happen in the early hours of September 2 for central, Eastern and Atlantic Canada.

That confusion only adds to the full-on identity crisis the natural night light is having for September.

It's typically known as the harvest moon because it happens closest to the fall equinox.

However, since it's happening during the first week the first of the month, it's too early for it to get that distinction.

So, it gets a different name this year.

It's usually called a corn moon based on Indigenous traditions and agriculture.

However, the Farmers' Almanac has suggested some alternatives like hurricane moon or bluefish moon because both are active during this time.

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With this all happening so early this year, the first full one in October will be the harvest moon.

According to the Farmers' Almanac, there are only 18 years from 1970 to 2050 when it isn't in September.

It seems fitting that 2020 is one of those years.

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This lunar phase for September is exceptionally early and comes before Labour Day, the unofficial end to summer.


2020 has been a great year for the celestial orb.

There were a couple of supermoons and one even had a pinkish hue to it as it shone brightly all across Canada in April.