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The Hunter's Moon 2026 turns full on Monday 26 October at 04:12 UTC. The best show is the moonrise on the evenings of 25 and 26 October, low in the east-northeast around sunset. Clocks go back in Central Europe on 25 October. Tap the find-in-sky button to see where to look.
Moon watching · Hunter's Moon 2026
The Hunter's Moon 2026 is the full Moon of Monday 26 October, and it turns exactly full at 04:12 UTC (05:12 in Vienna, 07:12 in Istanbul). It is the full Moon after the Harvest Moon, which in 2026 was the September full Moon.
Here is a friendly reminder: Central Europe sets its clocks back on Sunday 25 October at 03:00, from summer time to winter time (CET, UTC+1). So the moonrise times for 25 and 26 October in Vienna are in CET. Turkey stays on UTC+3 all year, so nothing changes in Istanbul.
The best show is the moonrise, and you get two evenings to enjoy it. On Sunday 25 October the Moon is about 99.9% lit, only a few hours before full. On Monday 26 October it is full.
In Vienna the Moon rises at about 16:02 CET on 25 October (sunset 16:47) and about 16:25 CET on 26 October (sunset 16:45). In Istanbul it rises at about 17:25 on 25 October (sunset 18:09) and about 17:55 on 26 October (sunset 18:07). It climbs out of the east-northeast, right around sunset.
Look how the Moon climbs from the horizon and slowly changes from deep orange to pale cream. You will see the same thing in real life, in about an hour.
Traditionally, this was the time when the harvest fields had been cleared and hunters could track game by the bright moonlight. Other old names like Blood Moon, Travellers' Moon or Sanguine Moon come from folklore, so enjoy them as stories.
About the supermoon talk: some outlets use that word. The truth is a bit calmer. At full Moon the distance is about 368,900 km, while the average is 384,400 km, so the Moon looks slightly larger than usual. The difference is modest, not dramatic. The Moon reaches perigee on 28 October (about 364,400 km), and its apogee was on 16 October (about 404,600 km).
Two things are happening. First, the Moon illusion: it is a trick of your brain, and the Moon is not really bigger near the horizon. Hold a coin or a pea at arm's length and compare it with the Moon at moonrise, then again when it is high. It covers the same patch of sky.
Second, the colour. Near the horizon the moonlight travels through a long stretch of air, which scatters away much of the blue light and leaves the warm orange. It is the same reason sunsets are red.
Pick a spot with a free horizon to the east-northeast: a hill, a river bank or the seaside. Arrive about 30 minutes early, so you do not miss the first sliver.
For photos, catch the Moon right as it clears the horizon, while twilight still glows. Use a telephoto lens for the 'giant Moon' look, and put a tree or a building in the frame for scale. A phone is great too: tap on the Moon and lower the exposure a little.
Tap 'Find with camera' to open the sky view: hold up your phone and an arrow leads you to the Moon. Tap 'Where is it now?' and, with your location, we tell you which direction the Moon is in and how high it is.
The Hunter's Moon 2026 is the full Moon of Monday 26 October, exactly full at 04:12 UTC. The best moonrises are on the evenings of 25 and 26 October.
In Vienna the Moon rises at about 16:02 CET (sunset 16:47) and in Istanbul at about 17:25 (sunset 18:09). It appears in the east-northeast.
Traditionally, it was the time when harvested fields were bare and hunters could track game by the bright moonlight. It is the full Moon after the Harvest Moon.
Not really. At full Moon it is about 368,900 km away versus an average of 384,400 km, so it looks only slightly larger than usual. Perigee comes on 28 October.
In Central Europe, yes: clocks go back one hour on Sunday 25 October at 03:00, to CET (UTC+1). Turkey stays on UTC+3.
That is the Moon illusion, a trick of the brain: the Moon is not really bigger. Its orange colour comes from the long path of moonlight through the air, just like a red sunset.
Sources: timeanddate.com (Moon in October 2026) for the phase and names; dates, moonrise times and distances were checked with Astronomy Engine.
Positions and times were recalculated with Astronomy Engine, the sky-calculation library Astrometrik uses; times for Vienna and Istanbul are local time. The artwork on this page was drawn by Astrometrik.