This year's biggest full moon to peak two days after Chuseok

SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - As South Koreans are getting ready to celebrate Chuseok, one of the country's biggest holidays next week, they will have to wait for a couple of days to see the harvest moon at its fullest.

With this year's Chuseok falling next Friday, the moon will rise at about 5:34 p.m. in Seoul that day, but it will be at its fullest and brightest at 1:49 a.m. on Sept. 27, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute said on Thursday.

South Koreans traditionally make wishes under the biggest full moon on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar.

Cloudy skies are expected during the long holiday weekend next week, but the moon should still be visible, allowing skywatchers to enjoy it with the naked eye.

The reason the size of the full moon changes each month is that the distance between the moon and Earth varies as the moon moves around Earth in an elliptical orbit.

AJP Takeaways

- This year's Chuseok falls on Sept. 25, 2026, with the moon expected to rise at about 5:34 p.m. in Seoul.

- The Chuseok full moon will reach its fullest and brightest point at 1:49 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2026, about two days after the holiday.

- The moon's apparent size changes because its distance from Earth varies as it travels around Earth in an elliptical orbit, while cloudy skies are expected during the Chuseok holiday weekend.