Phase and moonrise near Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, and the next 12 full moons on Pacific time.
Reading the sky near Los Angeles, CA.
Another place in California? Enter its ZIP below.
Photo: “Moon rise over the Green River and sage steppe at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge”, Tom Koerner, USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
California at a glance
Full moon dates and moonrise
12
Full moons listed
the next year, on Pacific time
3
Cities with moonrise
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento
Los Angeles
Tonight’s moon for
the biggest city, drawn to the real percent
Full moon calendar
Full moons in California for the next 12 months
California is the one big state on Pacific time, with a full moon rising over the Sierra for Sacramento and over the Pacific for the coast.
Times are on Pacific time. Each moonrise is for the evening of the full moon in that city, with the compass direction the moon comes up.
Full moons for the next 12 months in California, with moonrise in three cities
Date
Time
Name
Moonrise, Los Angeles
Moonrise, San Francisco
Moonrise, Sacramento
October 25
9:12 PM PDT
Hunter’s Moon
5:39 PM ENE
5:50 PM ENE
5:44 PM ENE
November 24
6:53 AM PST
Beaver Moon
4:43 PM ENE
4:48 PM NE
4:41 PM NE
December 23
5:28 PM PST
Cold Moon Supermoon
4:29 PM ENE
4:33 PM NE
4:26 PM NE
January 22
4:17 AM PST
Wolf Moon Supermoon
4:30 PM ENE
4:37 PM ENE
4:30 PM ENE
February 20
3:23 PM PST
Snow Moon
5:46 PM E
6:00 PM ENE
5:55 PM ENE
March 22
3:44 AM PDT
Worm Moon
6:41 PM E
6:59 PM E
6:56 PM E
April 20
3:27 PM PDT
Pink Moon
7:42 PM ESE
8:07 PM ESE
8:05 PM ESE
May 20
3:59 AM PDT
Blue Moon Seasonal
7:37 PM ESE
8:06 PM ESE
8:04 PM ESE
June 18
5:44 PM PDT
Strawberry Moon
8:20 PM ESE
8:50 PM SE
8:50 PM SE
July 18
8:45 AM PDT
Buck Moon
8:22 PM ESE
8:48 PM ESE
8:46 PM ESE
August 17
12:29 AM PDT
Sturgeon Moon
7:24 PM ESE
7:47 PM ESE
7:45 PM ESE
September 15
4:03 PM PDT
Harvest Moon
6:45 PM E
7:02 PM E
6:58 PM E
Moonrise over Washington, D.C. A rising moon lines up with the east end of a street for a few evenings, which is why compass direction matters as much as the clock time. “Moonrise Over Washington”, NASA/Aubrey Gemignani, Public domain
Enter a California ZIP above for tonight’s moonrise and moonset on your local clock, with the compass direction of each. The table below lists moonrise for Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento on every full moon night.
The table lists the next 12 full moons on Pacific time, starting with Hunter’s Moon on October 25 at 9:12 PM PDT. The tool above counts down to the next one for your ZIP.
The phase is the same everywhere, so a full moon is full for all of California at the same instant. What changes is the clock time and the direction of moonrise and moonset, which depend on where you stand.
No. A moon near the horizon looks larger because of how the eye judges size against trees and buildings, and the disc measures the same. A supermoon is different, because the moon really is closer by up to about 14 percent.
The table gives moonrise for Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento on each full moon night, on the local clock of each city. California is the one big state on Pacific time, with a full moon rising over the Sierra for Sacramento and over the Pacific for the coast.
Phase times are the U.S. Naval Observatory’s table for 2026 and 2027. Moonrise, moonset and direction are computed for each city from the moon’s position, and the names follow the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
