Your guide to October’s full Hunter’s Moon, from peak times to skywatching highlights.

The full Hunter’s Moon shines in the skies over Italy. (Image credit: Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

When to see the October full moon

The Hunter’s Moon stalks into the eastern sky at sunset on Oct. 25, when you may see it turn a subtle yellow-orange hue, as the blue wavelengths of sunlight reflected off its surface are scattered while passing through the dense layer of atmosphere close to the horizon.

You may think the lunar disk is particularly big around moonrise, but it’s actually the same angular size as when it appears directly overhead. What you’re seeing is a phenomenon called the “Moon Illusion,” wherein our brains trick us into thinking the moon is larger than it is while close to the horizon, with foreground objects for reference.

The table below details local full moon timings for when the moon is 100% illuminated for a selection of cities spread across the globe (local moonset and moonrise times will vary based on your location):

Local full moon timings for October 2026

Why it’s called the Hunter’s Moon

The October full moon is commonly known as the Hunter’s Moon because it traditionally rises around the time that hunters would take to the newly harvested fields to catch animals to prepare as food for the winter. Its light also allowed the hunters to pursue their quarry long into the night, per the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Native American peoples also had their own names for the October moon. To the Cree it is the “Migrating Moon”, after the southward journey taken by many birds around the time of its appearance, while the Ojibwe and Haida know it as the Ice Moon, or Freezing Moon.

It’s also known as the “Seed Fall Moon” by the Celtic people of central and western Europe and as the Sanguine or Blood Moon by some who hold pagan beliefs, according to Time and Date.