Full moon & new moon in July 2027
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 25 September 2026
The July full moon is Guru Purnima, the day yoga and Vedic traditions set aside to honour the teacher. In 2027 it falls on July 18 and is also the smallest full moon of the year, a coincidence with no significance beyond making the night sky slightly less dramatic than usual.
Full Buck Moon · Ashadha Purnima (Guru Purnima)
- New York (ET): Sun, Jul 18, 11:45 AM
- Chicago (CT): Sun, Jul 18, 10:45 AM
- Denver (MT): Sun, Jul 18, 9:45 AM
- Los Angeles (PT): Sun, Jul 18, 8:45 AM
- London: Sun, Jul 18, 4:45 PM
- India (IST): Sun, Jul 18, 9:15 PM
- Sydney: Mon, Jul 19, 1:45 AM
- UTC: Sun, Jul 18, 3:45 PM
New moon: Sat, Jul 3, 11:02 PM ET
Distance at full moon: about 405,968 km (average ≈ 384,400 km).
In the sky
At roughly 406,000 km, this is 2027's micromoon. A very slight penumbral eclipse around 16:02 UTC is essentially invisible and occurs in daytime for the Americas. The new moon on July 4 means dark skies for Independence Day fireworks. Midsummer nights in the Northern Hemisphere are short, but the constellation Scorpius and the teapot shape of Sagittarius sit low in the south after dark, marking the direction of the galactic centre — under a truly dark sky away from city lights, the summer Milky Way is at its richest this month and next.
Names and traditions
Guru Purnima honours Vyasa, traditionally the compiler of the Vedas and author of the Mahabharata, and by extension every teacher. It also marks the Buddha's first sermon (Asalha Puja) and the start of the monastic rains retreat (Vassa), a three-month period of intensified practice and settled residence for monastics in the Theravada tradition. In the Kriya lineage it is one of the most observed days of the year, often marked with a special sitting, an offering, or renewed dedication to a teacher's instruction.
A practice for July
Before Guru Purnima: reread
Spend the fortnight rereading a text your teacher gave you, or the one that first brought you to practice, without rushing to finish it.
Guru Purnima: gratitude, not display
Traditionally a day of offering and silence. Write to a teacher, or sit in gratitude for those who taught you, living or not, formal or informal.
Begin a retreat season
The rains retreat lasts three lunar months. You could keep one extra practice until the October full moon, mirroring the monastic commitment in a small, personal way.
A single day of quiet
If a full retreat isn't practical, set aside even a few hours of reduced talking and screen use on Guru Purnima itself.
Moon phases have no proven effect on health or mood; these are markers for reflection, as they have been in many traditions.