Corn Moon and the total lunar eclipse on September 7
The full moon will rise as the Corn Moon on September 7. In Asia, Australia, Europe or Africa, a total lunar eclipse will occur with the moon appearing red.
Earlier this summer, “corn sweat” made news due to the crushing humidity in the central U.S. Now, it’s time for the “corn moon” to make an appearance in the late-summer skies above the U.S.
And for folks in other parts of the world, this weekend’s full moon will also be a “blood” moon thanks to a total lunar eclipse, which unfortunately won’t be visible here in the states.
Americans will have to wait until next March to see the next blood moon lunar eclipse.
When is the corn moon?
The final full moon of summer 2025 – known this year as the corn moon – will reach peak illumination at 2:09 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 7, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
It will be below the horizon at that moment, so we’ll have to wait until evening to watch the moon rise in the eastern sky.
The moon will also appear plenty full both nights before and after Sept. 7.
Why is it called the corn moon?
The Algonquin tribes in what is now the northeastern USA coined the term corn moon, according to the Maine Farmer’s Almanac, since this was the time for gathering their main staple crops of corn, pumpkins, squash, beans and wild rice.
European names for this full moon are the fruit moon, as a number of fruits ripen as the end of summer approaches, and the barley moon, from the harvesting and threshing of barley, according to NASA.
Will skies be clear Sunday night?
A sky cover map from the National Weather Service shows that much of the nation should have clear skies as the corn moon rises on the evening of Sept. 7:
Where will the total lunar eclipse be visible?
Weather permitting, the total lunar eclipse will be visible across parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, according to the BBC Sky at Night Magazine and Space.com.
When is the next total lunar eclipse in the U.S.?
The next total lunar eclipse visible in the Americas will occur March 3, 2026, NASA said. A second, partial eclipse visible in the Americas takes place in August 2026.
August 2026 will also feature a total solar eclipse visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small area of Portugal, while a partial eclipse will be visible in Europe, Africa, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean.
Contributing: Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press; Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal