What is a full moon?
A full moon happens when the Moon is opposite the Sun from Earth, so the side facing us is fully illuminated. The full moon is not only a beautiful night-sky event; it is also the center point of the lunar month and a useful marker for calendars, tides, festivals, photography, farming traditions and astronomy planning.
The Moon does not make its own light. It reflects sunlight. As the Moon moves around Earth, we see different amounts of its sunlit half. Those changing shapes are called moon phases: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter and waning crescent.
Why can the full moon date change by timezone?
The full moon happens at one exact moment worldwide, but your calendar date depends on local time. For example, a full moon that occurs late at night in UTC may already be the next morning in Asia or Australia, while it may still be the previous day in the Americas.
That is why FullMoonCountdown.com shows both the local countdown and the UTC time. This helps you avoid confusion when comparing moon calendars from different countries.