Moon

October's Hunter's Moon rises October 25 near Saturn in UK and US skies

October's full moon, known as the Hunter's Moon, rises on the evening of October 25, 2026, appearing close to Saturn in the sky, Secret London reports. In the UK the moon reaches peak illumination at 04:12 BST on October 25, while Geo News gives the US peak as 12:11 a.m. EDT on October 26.

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Saturn appears alongside the moon#

The Royal Observatory Greenwich says the moon and Saturn will be visible together from around 9pm on October 24 until 3am on October 25, moving across the sky as the night continues, according to Secret London. Both objects can be seen without equipment, though binoculars or a telescope bring out Saturn's color and rings, Secret London notes.

In the United States, Saturn can be found about 20 degrees below the moon shortly after moonrise on October 25, Geo News reports. At dawn the next day, Jupiter sits roughly halfway up the southeastern sky between Mars and the star Regulus, per Geo News.

Why the name and the glow#

The full moon takes its name from the season after harvest, when farmers reaped their fields and hunters used the bright light to pursue game ahead of winter, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac as cited by Space.com. It is a nickname rather than a distinct lunar event, and Secret London notes it will not look physically larger or more colorful than other full moons.

Near moonrise the moon takes on a subtle yellow-orange hue as blue light scatters in the dense atmosphere near the horizon, Space.com reports, and it can also look larger close to the ground through the moon illusion, a trick of perception rather than a change in the moon's actual size. Geo News adds that viewers may see the same orange or reddish tint shortly after sunset on October 25.

Geo News reports that the moon appears nearly full for several nights around the peak, giving viewers more than one opportunity to see it, and that other traditional names for October's full moon include the Migrating Moon, Ice Moon and Blood Moon.

Best viewing conditions and later moons#

To get a clear view, Geo News recommends an open area free of obstructions on the eastern horizon and arriving about 20 minutes before moonrise, since hills, buildings or haze can block the moment it first appears. Secret London similarly advises choosing a spot with an unobstructed eastern view, since buildings and trees can hide the moon while it sits low in the sky.

Geo News reports that the Beaver Moon on November 24 and the Cold Moon on December 23 are both supermoons.

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