In the wake of the rise of the full harvest moon during dusk on Monday, Oct. 6, our natural satellite will rise about 50 minutes later each night. That can only mean one thing — it must set later, too, and therefore be in the daytime sky after sunrise.

Here’s everything you need to know about the phenomenon of the morning moon as it becomes clearly visible in daylight, in a blue sky — and when and where to see it.

The key to observing the daytime moon lies in understanding its orbit. At full moon, it’s 180 degrees from the sun, reducing to 90 degrees a week later when it will be half-lit — its last quarter moon phase. By then it will rise close to midnight, climb high during the night and set around midday.

This week it will be a waning gibbous moon, big and bright and in the southwest in the morning sky.

That same pattern will occur worldwide, though with local moonrise and moonset times changing slightly according to longitude.

To the naked eye, the waning gibbous moon will dominate the southwestern sky during dawn and remain very prominent in the daytime sky during the morning.

If you have binoculars or a small telescope, have a look at the dividing line between lunar day and night on the moon, known as the terminator. Sunlight hits the lunar surface at an angle, causing craters and the Apennine mountain range — visible in the south of the moon — to cast long shadows.

It’s the same when you view it in the morning, though it’s during dawn that it’s going to be at its brightest and best as it hangs close to the southwestern horizon.

As it shrinks to a crescent midweek, it will arguably look at its very best in the hour or so before sunrise — particularly as it passes close to Venus on Sunday, Oct. 19, while just a super-slim 4% crescent.

The Orionid meteor shower will soon take center stage. Peaking overnight on Oct. 21-22, in the near-perfect moonless skies of the new moon, about 20 meteors per hour are possible. Although they can appear anywhere in the night sky — and will be most numerous after midnight — they will appear to radiate from the constellation Orion, rising in the southeast. Adding to the spectacle, comets Lemmon (C/2025 A6) and SWAN R2 (Comet C/2025 R2) could both be visible in the post-sunset night sky.

They’ll likely be at their best as they swing closest to Earth between Oct. 20 and 23, though binoculars will almost certainly be needed to get a good view (they may be visible to the naked eye from dark sky sites).

The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.