October 2025 sky features supermoon and meteor showers
Stargazers in October 2025 can enjoy a bright supermoon and two meteor showers lighting up the night sky. The full moon on October 6 will appear larger and brighter, coinciding with the Draconid meteor shower. The Orionids will peak later in the month under dark new moon skies.
The night sky in October 2025 promises spectacular viewing opportunities, starting with a supermoon on October 6. This full moon will coincide with perigee, the moon's closest approach to Earth, making it about 30% brighter and up to 14% larger than a typical full moon. Just two days earlier, on October 4, enthusiasts can participate in International Observe the Moon Night, an annual global event to view and celebrate the moon.
Between October 6 and 10, the Draconid meteor shower will be active, peaking around October 8. These meteors, originating from debris of comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, can produce up to 10 per hour and streak from the constellation Draco in the northern sky. However, the bright supermoon may interfere with visibility, so dark skies are recommended.
Later, the Orionid meteor shower peaks on October 21, offering about 20 meteors per hour. Earth will pass through debris from Halley's Comet, causing the fragments to burn up in the atmosphere. The shower runs from September 26 to November 22, but the best viewing is before midnight to around 2 a.m. on the peak night, thanks to the new moon providing dark conditions. Observers in the northern hemisphere should look southeast, while those in the southern hemisphere look northeast; meteors radiate from the Orion constellation but are visible across the sky.
As NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory notes in its skywatching guide, 'Look up and be amazed as the full moon is bigger and brighter because—it's a supermoon!' Finding a dark location after sunset will enhance the experience for these celestial events.