October's full moon is the Hunter's Moon, the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. In 2026 it reaches full phase on October 26 at 04:12 UTC (12:12 a.m. EDT, or 9:12 p.m. PDT on October 25). A full moon always rises around sunset, but the best evening for photos is a specific one: the evening the moon clears the horizon during golden hour.
The short version: in Seoul and Tokyo, go out on the evening of October 26. In London, New York, and Los Angeles, October 25 and 26 are the evenings to plan for. I calculated the moonrise times for each city below.
Why the Hunter's Moon rises at sunset
A full moon sits opposite the Sun, so as the Sun sets in the west, the moon rises in the east. Timing is everything, though. If the moon rises long before sunset, the sky is still too bright for it to stand out. If it rises long after, the landscape has gone dark and the moon turns into a white blob in your photos.
Autumn full moons have a helpful quirk. The moon usually rises about 50 minutes later each day, but around the autumn full moons that gap shrinks a lot. In Seoul, by my calculations, moonrise moves only 31 minutes later from October 25 to 26, and 38 minutes from October 26 to 27. That gives you several evenings in a row with a round moon rising near sunset. Traditionally, that extra evening moonlight helped hunters track game after dark, which is where the name comes from.
The 2026 Hunter's Moon is not a supermoon. It's closer than September's full moon, but not close enough to qualify. The next supermoon is the full moon on November 24.
Moonrise vs. golden hour, city by city
Here, golden hour is when the Sun is between 6° above and 4° below the horizon, and blue hour is the stretch after that, from 4° to 6° below. All times are local.
- Seoul: October 26, moonrise 17:22, sunset 17:41. The moon rises 19 minutes before sunset. On the 27th, moonrise at 18:00 falls in blue hour.
- Tokyo: October 26, moonrise 16:34, sunset 16:52, much like Seoul.
- London: the moon rises in golden hour on October 25, 26, and 27. British Summer Time ends on October 25, so clock times jump an hour earlier than on the 24th.
- New York: October 25, moonrise 5:26 p.m. (sunset 6:01 p.m.); October 26, moonrise 5:58 p.m. (sunset 5:59 p.m.).
- Los Angeles: October 25, moonrise 5:39 p.m. (sunset 6:06 p.m.); October 26, moonrise 6:17 p.m. (sunset 6:05 p.m.).
In the Americas, full phase arrives on the night of October 25 local time (or just after midnight in New York), so the moon rising on the evening of the 25th is effectively the fullest one. Around October 25–26, Saturn also sits near the moon.
Check where the moon will rise first
The full moon's rising point shifts through the year. In Seoul on October 26, the moon rises at an azimuth of about 68°, roughly 22° north of due east, while the Sun sets on the opposite side at about 255° (west-southwest). If you want the moon next to a tower, a bridge, or a ridgeline, find a spot where that subject sits to your east-northeast.
I scout locations with the moon direction map in Golden Horizon. Switch to the moon in the top-right corner and the map draws lines for where the moon rises and sets. Set the date to the 26th and check whether your subject sits on the moonrise line.
Tips for photographing the full moon over a landscape
- Shoot 10–20 minutes after moonrise. A freshly risen moon glows orange through the thick air near the horizon. Just before sunset, the landscape still has light, so the moon and the scene are closer in brightness.
- Go far and use a telephoto lens. The moon looking huge near the horizon is an illusion. To make it big in a photo, back away from your subject and zoom in.
- Expose for the moon and bracket. As the sky darkens, the moon blows out fast. Take several frames at different exposures so you have options later.
- Pick a clear eastern horizon. Buildings or hills push the moment you actually see the moon later than the calculated moonrise.
Golden Horizon's moon details screen shows how long the moon stays above the horizon, along with full moon names from different cultures. For more on those names, see Check Monthly Highlights and Cultural Full Moon Names, and for planning golden hour shoots, see A Photographer's Guide to Perfect Golden Hour Shots.
Summary
The 2026 Hunter's Moon is full on October 26. In Seoul and Tokyo, the moon rises about 20 minutes before sunset on the evening of the 26th. In Europe and the Americas, your chances start on the evening of the 25th. Get the date and direction right ahead of time, and you can catch an orange full moon climbing out of the eastern sky at golden hour. Here's hoping for clear skies.
Sources
- timeanddate — Seoul Moonrise and Moonset, October 2026: Seoul moonrise times and azimuths, used to check my calculations
- Star Walk — Full Moon in October 2026: Hunter's Moon timing, its link to the Harvest Moon, and Saturn nearby
- The Weather Network — Fall 2026 sky guide: why the Hunter's Moon isn't a supermoon, and November's supermoon
- The Old Farmer's Almanac — Full Hunter's Moon October 2026: where the name comes from and the best evening in North America
