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October’s Harvest Moon rises

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Our next full moon, and the first one of the astronomical fall, will rise above the horizon late Monday night.

What You Need To Know

  • October’s full moon is a supermoon and will appear about 30% brighter and 14% larger

  • It is called the Harvest Moon

  • Unobstructed views of the horizon allow for best sightings


This full moon is called the Harvest Moon because it is the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox (Sept. 22). What makes this so unique is that between 1970 and 2050, there are only 18 years when the Harvest Moon occurs in October. The last time was in 2020, and the next time will be in 2028.

Historically, it’s called the full Harvest Moon because it provides bright light for several evenings in a row to help farmers gather their crops.

Supermoon

October’s full moon is a supermoon, and according to NASA, it will appear approximately 30% brighter than normal and 14% larger than normal. This is because of the moon’s proximity to Earth. During a supermoon, the full moon is at “perigee,” which means it is at its closest location to Earth all month. 

The moon will officially be full at 11:48 p.m. EDT Monday, so you’ll have to stay up late to catch it at its peak. Here’s the forecasted cloud cover. 

Cloud cover across the United States expected at midnight on Oct. 7, 2025.

Other names of the moon

There is some discrepancy about the nomenclature of the October full moon. Naming conventions date back to the Native Americans of the northern and eastern United States, who kept track of the seasons. 

Here are some other names given to the full October moon:

  • Hunter’s Moon: This is the traditional time to hunt
  • Falling Leaves Moon: Name given to express the changing and falling leaves, signaling the onset of fall
  • Dying Grass Moon: A Gaelic name that signifies the end of the growing season
  • Drying Rice Moon: A Dakota name given for when rice is harvested and dried
  • Freezing Moon: A time of the year when the first frost occurs

The best viewing will be after sunset on Monday and early morning on Tuesday. To find the best time to view in your area, check out the moonrise calculator. Be sure to find a place with unobstructed horizon views for the best sights.

The next full moon will be the Beaver Moon, which occurs on Nov. 5, 2025.

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

Meteorologist Stacy Lynn

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