October 4, 2025: The nearly Full Harvest Moon shines brightly near Saturn in the southeast after sunset. Its light washes out Neptune and Uranus while illuminating the autumn landscape.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:51 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:27 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
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Evening Moon Nears Saturn
The bright moon is near Saturn after sunset. Tonight, it is 94% illuminated as the Full Moon approaches in a few evenings. This bright moon illuminates the landscape and casts shadows. Its light could have aided farmers harvesting summer’s crops.
This series of nights with a bright moon is known as the Harvest Moon, the Full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox. This year it is the first Full Moon of autumn.
An hour after sunset, the moon is in the southeast, about 20° above the horizon. The lunar orb is 14° to the upper right of Saturn.
The Ringed Wonder passed opposition last month when, like a Full moon, it rose at sunset. When the moon’s earth-facing side is completely in sunlight, it is at opposition with the sun.
The moon’s light is now washing out Neptune, in the same region as Saturn, and Uranus, which rises later during the night.
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