October 2025’s Hunter’s Full Moon: Exact Date, Peak Time and How to See It

Skywatchers around the globe are preparing for the Full Harvest Supermoon of October 2025, a lunar spectacle that will peak at 03:47 UTC on Tuesday, 7 October (11:47 p.m. EDT on Monday, 6 October for North America). Because this full moon occurs just 14 days after the September equinox, it earns the traditional title “Harvest Moon,” providing extra post-sunset light that once helped farmers gather crops. Why it’s a supermoon • The Moon reaches perigee—its closest point to Earth—less than 24 hours before full phase, shrinking the Earth-Moon distance to roughly 357,000 km. That proximity will make the disk appear about 7 percent larger and up to 13 percent brighter than an average full moon. • It is the first of four supermoons scheduled for 2025, making it the largest and brightest lunar event of the year. Best times to look up • Americas: moonrise occurs near local sunset on 6 October; peak brilliance arrives late that evening. • Europe & Africa: the Moon is already high in the sky at peak early on 7 October. • Asia & Australia: catch the full disk just before or during dawn on 7 October, then again at the next moonrise that evening. Viewing tips 1. Choose an open horizon—harbor fronts, hilltops, or rural fields—to watch the orange-tinted Moon lift off the skyline. 2. Use a foreground subject such as a silo, lighthouse, or city landmark to create dramatic photos; a smartphone on night-mode will capture surprising detail thanks to the extra supermoon brightness. 3. If you own binoculars, look for the contrasting dark mare (seas) and the bright ejecta rays around crater Tycho, which stand out sharply under the full glare. Cultural names & astrology Indigenous Algonquin peoples call this the Travel Moon, while in parts of Europe it’s nicknamed the Wine Moon for the grape-harvest season. Modern astrologers note that the Moon sits in fiery Aries opposite the Sun in Libra, a configuration said to energize decisive action and relationship balance. Next lunar highlights • 29 October 2025: Partial lunar eclipse (Europe, Africa, Asia). • 5 November 2025: Full Hunter’s Moon returns to a more typical size. • 3 March 2026: The Americas’ next total lunar eclipse. Whether you join a local stargazing party or simply step onto your balcony, the 2025 Harvest Supermoon promises a striking reminder of our planet’s cosmic neighbor—one you won’t want to miss.