Stargazers are in for a treat tonight as the Harvest Moon — the first and brightest supermoon of 2025 — rises over the horizon. The spectacular lunar display will peak at 11:47 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 6, but its glow will brighten the night sky for several evenings.
This year’s Harvest Moon will orbit closer to Earth than any other full moon so far in 2025, appearing bigger, brighter, and more golden than usual. At about 226,000 miles away, the moon’s proximity creates the “supermoon” effect, making it seem especially large when it rises near sunset.
Unlike other full moons, the Harvest Moon isn’t tied to a specific month but to the autumnal equinox, which fell on Sept. 22. In most years, the September full moon is the “corn moon” and the October full moon is the “hunter’s moon.” But whichever full moon lands closest to the equinox earns the title “harvest moon.”
For centuries, the Harvest Moon provided farmers with extended evening light to gather crops before the arrival of electric lights. One of its unique features is that it rises at nearly the same time for several consecutive nights — just 25 to 30 minutes later each evening, compared to the usual 50-minute gap. This creates the illusion of a full moon for three nights straight.
The October supermoon is also sometimes called the hunter’s moon, a nod to the season when brighter moonlight helped hunters track game as autumn set in. Other traditional names include the sanguine or blood moon, referencing either hunting or the fiery hues of changing leaves.
This will be the first of three supermoons in 2025, with the next full moon — the Beaver Supermoon — set for Nov. 5.
The Harvest Moon will rise low on the horizon around sunset, creating a striking orange glow.
Source: USA Today