October's full Hunter's Moon reaches peak illumination across the United States on October 26.

October's full moon reaches complete illumination at 12:12 a.m. EDT on October 26, shining opposite the sun. Stargazers across the United States can catch their first view as the lunar disk climbs into the eastern sky at sunset on October 25. At peak illumination, the shadowy terminator dividing the day and night sides of the moon disappears.

This lack of shadows makes it an ideal time to explore dark lunar seas, which are vast basaltic plains created billions of years ago when lava flooded impact basins. Observers can also spot reflective streaks radiating from bright young craters where asteroid impacts excavated subsurface material. The moon often appears abnormally large near the horizon due to a perceptual trick known as the "Moon Effect." Additionally, it frequently takes on a yellow-orange hue in the hour after moonrise because Earth's atmosphere scatters the short blue wavelengths of reflected light.

The Northern Hemisphere calls this event the Hunter's Moon because it traditionally rose after harvests cleared the fields, aiding hunters. Indigenous names include the Migrating Moon by the Cree people and the Freezing Moon by the Ojibwe and Haida.