The Sky Today on Monday, October 26: Observe the October Hunter’s Moon

October’s bright Full Moon offers an excellent observing target, allowing you to trace the rays thrown out by ancient impacts. | Published: October 26, 2026 Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. October 25: Dione crosses Saturn October’s Full Moon occurs at 12:12 A.M. EDT, shining brightly in both the morning and evening sky. The October Full Moon is also called the Hunter’s Moon, which follows the Full Harvest Moon we saw in September. Observing the Full Moon can actually be a bit challenging. At Full phase, the Sun appears directly overhead from the nearside and it is lunar “noon,” which means shadows are at their shortest and the landscape does not appear as three-dimensional as we peer up at it. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no observing to be had! First, though, if you plan to use a telescope, consider a Moon filter to cut down on the glare. If you don’t have one, you can observe while wearing sunglasses to get the same effect — just make sure not to slip them over your eyes until you’re about to step up to the eyepiece. Using higher magnifications will also reduce the amount of bright light streaming into your eye, as greater magnification reveals less of the lunar surface in a single field of view. Although many features are not at their best during a Full Moon, the rays of ejecta left behind as impactors slammed into the surface to create craters can be viewed during a Full Moon. In particular, the large crater Tycho in the lunar south has a huge, well-defined system of rays you can explore, some of which stretch hundreds of miles from the crater itself. Other craters that have stunning rays you can seek out during Full Moon include Copernicus, Proclus, Aristarchus, Stevinus, and Byrgius. Sunrise: 7:23 A.M.Sunset: 6:05 P.M.Moonrise: 6:06 P.M.Moonset: 8:02 A.M.Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (99%)*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location. Alison Klesman is senior editor of Astronomy magazine. She holds a Ph.D. in astronomy and has studied a variety of topics, from minor planets to supermassive black holes.