October's full Moon, nicknamed the Hunter's Moon, is set to light up the night sky this weekend. It will be visible in the UK from Sunday 25 October into the morning of Monday 26 October. Marking the 11th full Moon of 13 in 2026, it is the final one before a run of four consecutive supermoons, external.
If you want to catch a glimpse, keep an eye on the forecast to see if the weather will allow a clear view. The Moon will rise in the east at just after on Sunday and set towards the west between 07:00 and on Monday - times vary across the UK. The Moon will be officially full at on Monday.
This is the moment of "syzygy" when the Sun and Moon will be aligned either side of the Earth. However, the Moon will appear full on both Sunday and Monday nights, giving skygazers two chances to spot it. During a full Moon, the whole of the Earth-facing side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun.
You may notice an orange or reddish hue to the Moon when it is low in the sky due to the scattering of short wavelength blue light as it passes through a large depth of the atmosphere. The longer wavelength red and orange colours are not scattered as readily so pass through to our eyes. The Moon may also appear larger in the sky near moonrise and moonset - something called the "Moon Illusion".
This is when our brain makes us think the Moon looks bigger because it is viewed alongside objects on the horizon such as buildings and trees. As well as looking out for the full Moon, there is also a chance to spot some shooting stars, with the Orionid meteor shower just past its peak. The extra lunar light, however, may obscure some of the meteors, so be patient and leave time for your eyes to adjust.
Full Moons throughout the year have traditionally been given names that reflect what is going on in nature. Different cultures use different names for the 12 or 13 full Moons across the lunar calendar, but many of the common ones we use today originate from Native American cultures. In October, the term Hunter's Moon comes from the time of year hunters would have been most active, preparing for the colder and darker winter months ahead.
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