October Supermoon 2025: Here's how to see the Hunter Full Moon and how it got its name
This month’s full moon will be well worth looking out for.
It's a sight that has inspired myths, superstitions and awe through the centuries - when the night sky is lit up by the seemingly-perfect glowing sphere of a full moon.
We experience one full moon every month, with each one given a different evocative name.
Here's how to see the tenth one of 2025 - the Hunter Moon, which has the added bonus of being a Supermoon.
What is a full moon?
A full moon is when moon appears as a complete circle in the sky. The moon produces no light of its own, so this only happens when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun - meaning the whole of the near side of the moon is fully lit up.
When is the Hunter Moon in 2025?
The next full moon or ‘Hunter Moon’ will reach its peak at 4.48am on Tuesday, October 7. This time only applies to the UK however as when the full moon rises and sets depends on where you are on the planet. Even if it’s cloudy - or if you’re alseep - when it peaks you'll still be able to see it for much of the night, when it will be almost imperceptibly less full.
Why is it called the Hunter Moon?
Following last month’s Harvest Moon, the Hunter Moon is also all about stocking up on food for winter. It was coined by the Algonquin Native American tribe and reminded them to get out there to hunt animals so they could stock up on meat for the months ahead. Autumn was the best time to find animals, woth bare fields leaving them with less places to hide, while falling temperatures meant it was easier to keep meat for longer without it going off.
The October full moon is also known as the Corn Ripe Moon and the Falling Leaves Moon, coming as it does during the middle of Autumn
Why do full moons have different names?
Full moon names are often attributed to Native American tribes that would give full moons nicknames to keep track of them as they didn’t record time using months found in the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Most of the names were linked to a specific event, for example this wolf moon is associated with the presence of howling wolves nearby their camps at this time.
Other moons like the blood moon were thought to be caused by Jaguars who attacked the moon and left it bleeding hence the red colour. These lunar systems and their names differed between tribes but it seems Colonial Americans adopted some of these names and incorporated them into their own calendar systems - their use then spread to other countries, including the United Kingdom.
What is a Supermoon?
A Supermoon is a phenomenon that occurs when the full moon or new moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to Earth in its orbit, known as perigee. Because the moon is closer to Earth during this time, it appears larger and brighter than usual, hence the name. It means that the moon appears up to 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than when it’s at its furthest from Earth.
This year we have a rare occurance in that the last three full moons of the year are all Supermoons - the first of which is the Hunter Moon.
When are the other full moons of 2025?
Here’s a full list of the other full moons still to come in 2025 - and their names:
November 5 - ‘Beaver Moon’ (also a Supermoon)
December 4 - ‘Cold Moon’ (also a Supermoon)
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