Every full and new moon of 2026 and 2027 in Finnish time, the full moons that never set in Lapland and the darkest nights for the northern lights.
Moon calendar
Full moons 2026 and 2027 in Lapland
Every full and new moon with the date and Finnish time, what the moon does in the polar night and the midnight sun, and which nights are darkest for the aurora.
All times are Finnish time: UTC+2 in winter, UTC+3 in summer.
Full moons 2026
Sat, January 3 at 12:03. Does not set in Rovaniemi that day.
Mon, February 2 at 00:09.
Tue, March 3 at 13:38.
Thu, April 2 at 05:12.
Fri, May 1 at 20:23.
Sun, May 31 at 11:45. Does not rise in Rovaniemi that day.
Tue, June 30 at 02:57. Does not rise in Rovaniemi that day.
Wed, July 29 at 17:36.
Fri, August 28 at 07:19.
Sat, September 26 at 19:49.
Mon, October 26 at 06:12.
Tue, November 24 at 16:54. Does not set in Rovaniemi that day.
Thu, December 24 at 03:28. Does not set in Rovaniemi that day.
New moons 2026: the darkest nights
Around the new moon the moon stays close to the sun and out of the night sky. The three nights either side of each date are the darkest of the month for faint aurora.
Sun, January 18 at 21:52.
Tue, February 17 at 14:01.
Thu, March 19 at 03:24.
Fri, April 17 at 14:52.
Sat, May 16 at 23:01.
Mon, June 15 at 05:54.
Tue, July 14 at 12:44.
Wed, August 12 at 20:37.
Fri, September 11 at 06:27.
Sat, October 10 at 18:50.
Mon, November 9 at 09:02.
Wed, December 9 at 02:52.
Full moons 2027
Fri, January 22 at 14:17.
Sun, February 21 at 01:24.
Mon, March 22 at 12:44.
Wed, April 21 at 01:27.
Thu, May 20 at 13:59.
Sat, June 19 at 03:45. Does not rise in Rovaniemi that day.
Sun, July 18 at 18:45. Does not rise in Rovaniemi that day.
Tue, August 17 at 10:29.
Thu, September 16 at 02:04.
Fri, October 15 at 16:47.
Sun, November 14 at 05:26. Does not set in Rovaniemi that day.
Mon, December 13 at 18:09. Does not set in Rovaniemi that day.
New moons 2027: the darkest nights
Thu, January 7 at 22:25.
Sat, February 6 at 17:56.
Mon, March 8 at 11:30.
Wed, April 7 at 02:51.
Thu, May 6 at 13:59.
Fri, June 4 at 22:40.
Sun, July 4 at 06:02.
Mon, August 2 at 13:05.
Tue, August 31 at 20:41.
Thu, September 30 at 05:36.
Fri, October 29 at 16:37.
Sun, November 28 at 05:24.
Mon, December 27 at 22:12.
Moonlight and the northern lights
A bright moon washes out faint green aurora, and long camera exposures turn pale and blue. Strong aurora still shows under a full moon, and the moonlight brings out the snow and the fells around it. For the darkest sky, plan around the new moon.
Why the winter full moon does not set
A full moon sits opposite the sun in the sky. In winter the sun stays low in the south, so the full moon rides high in the north, and north of the Arctic Circle it can circle the sky for a whole day without setting. In Rovaniemi that happens on January 3, 2026, November 24, 2026, December 24, 2026, November 14, 2027, and December 13, 2027.
Why the summer full moon does not rise
In summer it works the other way round. The sun stays high, the full moon stays low in the south, and north of the Arctic Circle it may not come above the horizon at all. In Rovaniemi the full moon does not rise on May 31, 2026, June 30, 2026, June 19, 2027, and July 18, 2027.
Planning an aurora trip by the moon?
Aurora tours run on moonlit nights too, but the week around a new moon gives the darkest sky for faint displays.
Moonrise and moonset at your destination
The free LaplandVibes app shows today's moon, the moonrise and moonset for your destination in Lapland, and a month calendar.
Calculated with Astronomy Engine, an open-source astronomy library. Its time for the full moon of 26 October 2026 (04:12 UTC) matches published tables to the minute.