Get ready for one of the most magical nights of the year! Tonight, the Super Harvest Moon – the first super moon of 2025 – will rise, appearing bigger, brighter, and closer than usual. This stunning full moon marks the closest full moon to the autumn equinox and has guided farmers for centuries as they harvested their final crops of the season.
On Monday, Oct. 6, the supermoon will take over the sky, the same night that the Draconid meteor shower is set to begin, according to NASA. Monday will offer a spectacular opportunity to look up at the Moon, with the Moon rising in the east just after sunset. Look to the eastern horizon shortly after sunset to watch this golden moon climb the sky. Its warm glow, larger size, and incredible brightness make it a perfect night for skywatching, photography, or just soaking in nature’s beauty.
While October’s moon, also known as the Harvest Moon, may be too bright to allow people to enjoy the meteor shower fully, the supermoon is still an incredible sight to see, as the moon will look around 30% brighter and up to 14% larger.
“It’s an annual, worldwide event when moon enthusiasts come together to enjoy our natural satellite,” NASA stated in its video “What’s Up: October 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA.” “You can attend or host a moon-viewing party, or simply observe the Moon from wherever you are. The full moon will be at its peak on Monday, Oct. 6, at 11:47 p.m. ET.
The Moon will be about 224,600 miles from Earth compared to the average distance of 238,900 miles. According to NASA, this proximity will make the Moon appear about 30% brighter and 14% larger than a typical full Moon.
Bad News for the Draconids
The best time to see the moon is when it is at its peak, but it will appear full for all night and even for a couple of days after, which is bad news for fans of meteor showers, as the brilliant light from the supermoon will inhibit viewing of the Draconids, running from Oct. 6 thru 10, with their peak on Oct. 8.
Still, your best chance of seeing the Draconid meteor shower is as darkness falls on the evening of Oct. 8 into the early morning hours on Oct. 9. You can locate the Draco constellation in the northern sky. (Free astronomy apps like SkyView Lite, Star Walk 2 and Star Chart can help you locate constellations, stars and planets.) It’s possible to see them in the southern hemisphere, but you’d have to be rather close to the equator to see Draco’s stars.
If the skies are dark enough, you might be able to see up to 10 meteors an hour, according to NASA. The big and bright super full moon may make it difficult to see the Draconids this year. The Draconids come from burning debris left by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner.
What is a Supermoon?
A Supermoon occurs because the Moon’s orbit of Earth is not a perfect circle but elliptical. During its 27-day orbit, the Moon reaches its closest point to Earth, known as perigee, and its farthest, known as apogee. When perigee coincides with the full Moon, we have a Supermoon. According to NASA, this term isn’t an astronomical definition but is usually used to describe a full Moon within at least 90% of its closest point in orbit to Earth.
But wait, there’s more. The next full Moons for November (Beaver Moon) and December (Cold Moon) are also Supermoons, with Nov. 5’s being the closest of the year. Then, 2026 kicks off with yet another Supermoon to ring in the New Year on Jan. 3. It’s not unusual for Supermoons to happen in succession this way. There are only three to four a year, and they always happen consecutively.
Of the three supermoons, November’s full moon will be the closest to Earth at 221,817 miles away from Earth, with December’s moon coming in second at 221,965 miles and October’s moon in third at 224,600 miles, according to the Almanac.
Why is it called the Harvest Moon?
As USA Today reports, this year, October is known as the Harvest Moon because it falls on the date closest to the autumn equinox. In 2024, the title of Harvest Moon went to the September full moon.
When it doesn’t fall on the date closest to the autumn equinox, the moon is named the Hunter Moon. The Algonquin Native Americans gave it this name because it signaled when it was time to start hunting for Winter, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
In the U.S., moons are known by the names given to them by Native American tribes. The moon is also known by the following names, according to AccuWeather:
- Dying Grass Moon
- Travel Moon
- Sanguine Moon
- Waking Moon
Supermoon will Impact the King Tides
October’s Supermoon is expected to have an impact on the current coastal flooding occurring throughout the Southeast. Unusually high tides – known as King Tides – are partially driven by the full Moon’s gravitational pull. Tide levels will peak by midweek, just after the full Moon.
A King Tide is a non-scientific term people often use to describe exceptionally high tides. Tides are long-period waves that roll around the planet as the ocean is “pulled” back and forth by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun as these bodies interact with the Earth in their monthly and yearly orbits. Higher than normal tides typically occur during a new or full moon and when the Moon is at its perigee, or during specific seasons around the country.
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