Skywatchers will be treated to a striking pairing of the nearly full harvest moon and Saturn on Sunday, Oct. 5. Just one night before the moon becomes full, it will be 98%-lit and shine close to Saturn, itself close to its brightest of the year. The two solar system objects will appear to be just a few degrees apart from just after sunset.
The moon and Saturn will become visible shortly after sunset on Sunday, Oct. 5, rising in the east-southeast as twilight deepens.
Saturn will appear about three degrees to the upper left of the bright, almost-full moon, close enough that both objects can fit into a single binocular field.
As darkness falls, the duo will be high enough in the sky to be easily observed, with the pair remaining visible throughout the night as they move westward.
The harvest moon will become full on Monday, Oct. 6, rising in the east during dusk and setting in the west at dawn on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
At first glance, the event will look like a brilliant moon with a steady golden “star” nearby — that’s Saturn. Unlike the twinkling stars, Saturn shines with a constant light, making it easy to identify. The pairing is particularly special because Saturn is almost at its brightest of the year, having reached what astronomers call its annual opposition only a couple of weeks ago, when Earth was between it and the sun.
For those with small telescopes, it’s an excellent opportunity to look more closely at Saturn’s rings, though this year Earth has a side-on view. Very close to the moon and Saturn is Neptune, itself just past its own opposition.
Sunday’s show is just the beginning of a series of moon-gazing highlights this week. On Monday, Oct. 6, the moon officially turns full, reaching its peak just before midnight. It will be an impressive sight, but it will rise while the sky is still bright. The following evening, Tuesday, Oct. 7, is when to see the harvest moon rising dramatically in the east during dusk, glowing a deep orange.
The bright moon this week may dampen chances of seeing slow-moving “shooting stars” during the Draconid meteor shower after sunset on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Later in the month, it may be possible to see two bright comets. Both Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) and Comet SWAN R2 (Comet C/2025 R2) could both brighten enough to be glimpsed with the naked eye — and almost certainly through binoculars — around Oct. 21, which happens to coincide with both a new moon and with the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower.