🌕 Eyes to the skies for October’s full Moon - the "Hunter’s" Moon! 🏹 💖🌕🔭✨ - 25/10/2026
Tonight, on the evening of the 25th into the morning of the 26th (weather permitting) we will hopefully be treated to views of October's beautiful full moon which is known to some as the "Hunter’s" Moon.
Although the full Moon may not always be the astrophotographer's best of friends, the full Moon always makes for a beautiful sight in the night sky and is an important marker of the seasons for many people.
If you would like to know more about this month's full moon, plus when and where to see the Hunter’s Moon, please read on…
🌕 What is a full Moon?
A full Moon occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. This alignment is also known as a Syzygy (a straight line arrangement of three or more celestial bodies). When this happens, the side of the Moon that can be seen from Earth is completely illuminated, giving it the appearance of being full.
On rare occasions the Earth can stand directly in between the Sun and Moon resulting in a lunar eclipse.
🌝 Full Moon names
The full moon of each month has been given names by many cultures and peoples throughout history. The most commonly known full moon names are derived from Native American tribes. The Native American tribes gave distinctions to moons based on the time of year and the weather's relationships to crop harvests and appearance of certain animals or animal behaviours.
🏹 The "Hunter’s" Moon
The Hunter’s Moon is the full Moon that follows the Harvest Moon, which is the full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. This means the Hunter’s Moon usually falls in October, but can sometimes occur in November. Like September’s Harvest Moon, the Hunter’s Moon rises at similar times for several nights in a row, so start looking for it from this evening!
The earliest use of the term “Hunter’s Moon,” cited in the Oxford English Dictionary, is from 1710. It is believed that this full Moon came to be called the full Hunter’s Moon because this time of year signalled the time to go hunting, and to gather and preserve food in preparation for the cold winter ahead. Animals are beginning to fatten up ahead of winter, and since the farmers had recently cleaned out their fields under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily see the deer and other animals that had come out to root through the remaining scraps (as well as the foxes and wolves that had come out to prey on them). Farmers would also use the light of the full moon to aid them in their hunt for food.
🌍 Other alternative October full Moon names
Some sources suggest that other names for the Hunter’s Moon are the Sanguine or Blood Moon, so named because the time between now and Samhain/Halloween was called ‘The Harvest of Flesh’. It was often associated with the blood from hunting or the colour of the changing autumn leaves. Other names for the full moon include; The Dying Grass Moon, The Drying Rice Moon, The Falling Leaves Moon, The Shedding Moon, The Freezing Moon and The Migrating Moon.
📍 When and where will the full Moon occur?
This month, the Moon reaches syzygy with the Earth and Sun at around 05:39 GMT during the morning on the 26th of October.
This means that the night the Moon will appear most full will be the night of the 25th into the morning of the 26th of October.
The Moon will rise in the evening of the 25th at around 15:54 GMT towards the East-Northeast. As the night progresses the Moon will climb in the sky travelling towards the South where the Moon will reach its highest point in the sky at an altitude of 50 degrees at roughly 23:29 GMT. Following this, the Moon will begin to descend travelling towards the North-West where it will set in the morning skies at around 07:29 GMT.
Remember that you don't really need to know the exact time of peak illumination to enjoy viewing the full Moon, as the Moon will appear full throughout the night and on the nights surrounding the peak.
⭐ Where among the stars can the Moon be found?
On the night of the 25th our natural satellite will be hitching a ride in the zodiacal constellation of Pisces but will move within the boundaries of Aries in the early morning.
More specifically, on this night the Moon can be found to the left of the bright planet Saturn and to the right of the bright stars Hamal and Sheratan of Aries
The zodiacal constellation of Pisces can be found in between the constellations of Aquarius and Aries and also below the constellations of Pegasus and Andromeda.
👁️ Lunar observation
The great thing about observing the Moon is that you don't have to go and find a particularly dark location to view it. As the Moon is such a bright object in the sky, you can view it from brighter locations, even from the centre of a heavily light polluted city. Weather permitting of course.
🌅 Moonrise/set - Moon illusion
It's always lovely to watch the moon rise/set, so if you can head out to witness the Moon rise or set, please do. Every time the Moon rises and sets it takes on a beautiful golden, amber colour and appears larger at this time too, due to an optical illusion known as the 'Moon illusion'. It's truly special to witness. As it rises and glides higher, its colour will transition into a bright white.
Sometimes the Moon can appear even more orangey red than usual too! The hue of the moon typically depends on atmospheric conditions wherever you're viewing it from. Things like clouds, dust, haze, smoke or pollution can cause the moon to appear different colours by scattering much of the blue light shining onto our natural satellite, leaving it with a more reddish tone.
🌌 What else is in the night sky throughout October?
If you would like to know more about the rest of the celestial treats that can be seen in the skies throughout October, please head to our YouTube channel to watch our Night Sky Guide video for October 2026 or you can watch our October 2026 Night Sky Guide on our website.
📸 Share your experiences and photographs!
We always love hearing about your celestial adventures and seeing your photographs! If you head out to witness or capture photos of this special celestial event or any other sights in the night sky, please feel free to share your stories and photos in the comments below. 😊
💫 Good luck and clear skies
This month's full Moon will be a beautiful sight, and if you can, we recommend heading out to witness this October's Hunter’s Moon!
Good luck if you head out folks. Wrap up warm if you do. Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Clear skies 💖
