The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon.

Quick Scoop

  • The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs nearest in time to the autumnal (fall) equinox each year.
  • It is defined by its timing relative to the equinox, not by a fixed month name like “September full moon.”
  • Around this time, the Moon rises at nearly the same time for several nights in a row, giving extra bright evenings historically useful for harvesting crops, which is how it got its name.

In short: when you hear people talk about the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, they are talking about the Harvest Moon.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.