October’s full moon may not quite make it for weekend viewing, but heading out Sunday night, Oct. 5, will still be worth it.
October’s full moon will be a supermoon, the first of three consecutive supermoons to close out 2025.
And since it’s the closest full moon to the autumn equinox, it’ll appear full for three days around its official peak on Monday, Oct. 6.
The supermoon won’t be the only reason to head outside for a little skygazing in October. There’s also a couple of meteor showers, although the moon will make the Draconids harder to see.
When is October’s full moon? How to see in Florida
Look to the east to see October’s full moon, known as the harvest moon, according to earthsky.org.
The full moon will reach it’s closest point to Earth at 11:48 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 6 (or at 11:47 p.m., depending on which source you look at). It will appear largest when rising or setting, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
It will appear full for three days, Oct. 5 through Oct. 7.
October’s full moon will be the first of three supermoons in 2025.
On Oct. 6, the moon could appear to be about 30% brighter and up to 14% larger than a typical full moon, according to NASA.
Where do you look to see October’s harvest moon?
Viewers in Florida and the U.S. “will be treated to a spectacular view of the harvest moon when it rises over the eastern horizon at sunset on Oct. 6,” space.com said.
October’s harvest moon 1st of 3 supermoons to end 2025
October’s full moon, also known as the harvest moon, will be the first supermoon of 2025, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Two more supermoons will appear this year, in both November and December,
What’s a supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, making the moon appear larger and brighter than a normal full moon.
“‘Supermoon‘ is actually just a nickname for what astronomers call a perigean full moon — a moon that is full and at its closest point in its orbit around Earth,” NASA said.
October’s full moon appears close to the autumnal equinox, which happened Sept. 22. That means the moon will rise about the same time for several nights.
What makes October’s supermoon so special?
October’s supermoon is the first of three consecutive supermoons to close out 2025.
While it won’t be the closest to Earth — that will come in November — since it comes near the autumn equinox, you’ll be able to enjoy a view of what appears to be the full moon for three days.
Compare 2025 supermoons and their distance from Earth:
Oct. 6: 224,599 miles from earth
Nov. 5: 221,817 miles from earth
Dec. 4: 221,965 miles from earth
The moon’s average distance is about 238,900 miles from Earth, according to earthsky.org.
Trivia: Harvest moon doesn’t always appear in October
The harvest moon is the full moon that occurs the closest to the autumn equinox, so it can appear in either September or October, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
“The harvest moon typically occurs in September, replacing the full corn moon. However, it occasionally lands in October instead, replacing the full hunter’s moon.”
More trivia! Oct. 4 is International Observe the Moon Night
International Observe the Moon Night is “an annual worldwide event when moon enthusiasts come together to enjoy our natural satellite,” according to NASA.
Full moon: Oct. 6, 11:47 p.m.
Third quarter: Oct. 13, 2:12 p.m.
New moon: Oct. 21, 8:25 a.m.
First quarter: Oct. 29, 12:20 p.m.
Draconid meteor shower won’t be easy to see
Watch for the Draconid meteor shower as darkness falls on the evening of Oct. 8, 2025, through the early hours of Oct. 9.
The Draconids is a minor meteor shower, the occurs annually from Oct. 6-10 and produces about 10 meteors per hour, according to seasky.org.
This won’t be the best year for the Draconids since it comes so close to the full moon. Try to block out the moon’s light for the best view and you may see a few.
“The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers,” seasky.org said.
Remember Halley’s comet? Now meet Orionid meteor shower
The new moon will provide the best conditions to see the Orionid meteor shower when it reaches its peak during the night of Oct. 21, assuming no clouds get in the way.
➤ Check expected cloud cover at your location
The Orionids is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak, according to seasky.org.
Look to the southeast after midnight and until just before dawn.
This will be a good year for the Orionids since it occurs during the new moon, when the sky is at its darkest.
“This meteor shower happens when Earth travels through the debris trailing behind Halley’s Comet and it burns up in our atmosphere,” NASA said.
What planets will you be able to see in October?
Mercury: On Oct. 29, Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 23.9 degrees from the sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset, seasky.org said.
Saturn: While you’re out watching the supermoon Oct. 6, look for Saturn about 15 degrees to the upper right of the full moon as it rises on Oct. 6, space.com said.
Mars and Mercury: These two planets will “meet” in the evening sky Oct. 19 but will be hard to spot since they’ll be low on the horizon and will set less than an hour after sunset, according to astronomy.com. You might be able to spot Mercury with binoculars; look toward the southwest.
Conjunction: Look to the southwest Oct. 23 to try to spot Mercury between Mars and the crescent moon. They’ll be low in the sky, according to astronomy.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Full moon for October is this weekend. When to see it, meteor showers