Moon

October's Hunter's Moon peaks early October 26, setting up Saturn pairing

October's full moon, the Hunter's Moon, reaches peak illumination at 12:11 a.m. EDT on Monday, October 26, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac as reported by the Hindustan Times. The best viewing window comes Sunday evening, October 25, when the moon rises near sunset in the eastern sky, the Hindustan Times reports.

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A Taurus moon opposite a Scorpio sun#

This year's Hunter's Moon falls in Taurus while the sun moves through Scorpio, a combination astrologers link to financial security, relationships and emotional trust, the Hindustan Times reports. In Western astrology, Taurus is tied to stability, comfort, money and personal values, while Scorpio relates to intimacy, shared resources and emotional change, according to the outlet.

The Economic Times similarly frames the Taurus full moon as a prompt to reflect on stability, patience and material resources, while cautioning that such readings offer symbolic meaning rather than factual scientific forecasts. The outlet notes the moon may encourage reflection on spending, savings and long-term security.

A full moon occurs when Earth sits between the sun and the moon so that the near side appears fully lit, per the lunar-phase description on Wikipedia. The moon's roughly 29.5-day orbit means a full moon typically occurs about once a month, Wikipedia notes.

Saturn tracks beside the moon before the peak#

In the nights leading up to the Hunter's Moon, the moon will appear to chase Saturn across the sky, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine. By October 23, the nearly full moon sits to the right of Saturn in the southeast after sunset, with the pair setting in the west around dawn on October 24, the magazine reports.

On the evening of October 24, the moon shifts to the left of Saturn, again visible in the southeast after sunset, BBC Sky at Night Magazine reports. By the morning of October 25 the moon is full, offering a view of it low in the west with Saturn below, before the Hunter's Moon itself rises in the east that evening, according to the magazine.

The name traces back to autumn hunting traditions#

The Hunter's Moon gets its name from autumn hunting traditions and the extra light it provided after sunset, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac as cited by the Hindustan Times and PRIMETIMER. Other traditional names for this moon include the Drying Rice Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Freezing Moon, Ice Moon and Migrating Moon, per the Old Farmer's Almanac as reported by PRIMETIMER.

The next full moon after the Hunter's Moon falls on November 24, 2026, just before 9 a.m., according to WSAW.

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