Moon-watching tips for Mid-Autumn Festival 2026
15 September 2026
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 25 (Friday) this year. Although the full moon will occur in the early hours of September 27 (Sunday) (i.e. late at night of the day following the Mid-Autumn Festival), a bright and round moon can still be seen at night during the Mid-Autumn Festival period, if weather permits.
To facilitate moon watching by the public, the times of moonrise, transit, moonset, and full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival period are listed in the table. At transit, the moon passes the local meridian, reaching its highest elevation of the night, when it is due south.
| September 24 (Thursday) – the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival | |
| Moonrise | 4:47 pm |
| Transit (elevation 58 degrees) | 10:40 pm |
| Moonset | 4:38 am (next morning) |
| September 25 (Friday) – Mid-Autumn Festival | |
| Moonrise | 5:20 pm |
| Transit (elevation 65 degrees) | 11:24 pm |
| Moonset | 5:33 am (next morning) |
| September 26 (Saturday) – the day following the Mid-Autumn Festival | |
| Moonrise | 5:54 pm |
| Transit (elevation 71 degrees) | 0:09 am (next morning) |
| Full moon | 0:49 am (next morning) |
| Moonset | 6:29 am (next morning) |
Please refer to the 9-Day Weather Forecast issued by the Hong Kong Observatory and the Weather Information for Astronomical Observation webpage for the latest weather and the astronomical observing conditions during the Mid-Autumn Festival period to facilitate planning of moon-watching activities.
Note: At full moon, the moon is completely illuminated as seen from the Earth, with the moon and the sun located on the opposite sides of the Earth.