The harvest moon pairs up with Saturn for a 2-for-1 celestial display

Kick off the first fall weekend with a glimpse of a full harvest moon and a chance to spot Saturn.

CNNAshley Strickland2026-09-25 12:27查看原文 ↗

Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Get ready for a celestial double treat. The first full moon of the fall season will reach peak illumination in the night sky this weekend — and sky-gazers will also have a chance to spot Saturn.

The moon will be at its brightest at 12:49 p.m. ET Saturday, but the best time to see the silvery orb will be just after sunset later that day, according to EarthSky. The ringed planet will appear golden and near the full moon between Friday and Monday.

Saturn will reach opposition — when it is positioned opposite the sun from Earth — on October 4. Opposition marks the best time to view Saturn as it will be closest to Earth in orbit, making the planet appear larger and brighter in the sky, according to EarthSky .

Neptune will also seem close to the moon, but the faint gas giant is much harder to see without binoculars or a telescope — and clear, dark skies, according to NASA .

If clouds prevent optimal viewing, the moon will also appear nearly full Friday and Sunday evening.

September’s full moon is traditionally known as the corn moon, marking the time when farmers typically harvest the crop, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac . Indigenous groups such as the Abenaki people of the Northeastern United States refer to it as the corn maker moon, while the Assiniboine know it as the yellow leaf moon.

But September’s lunar event this year is more popularly called the harvest moon because it lands so close to the autumnal equinox — the official start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere — which occurred on Tuesday.

The autumn full moon earned its well-known moniker because farmers used its brightness to continue harvesting crops after the sun set, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. But many indigenous tribes also use the name when referring to September’s full moon.

The harvest moon is often associated with an orange glow, adding to its autumnal appeal.

But any full moon will take on a similarly amber-tinged hue if people view it near the horizon. This is because onlookers peer through a thicker part of Earth’s atmosphere, according to EarthSky.

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There are three more full moons to anticipate in 2026.

Keep an eye out for November and December’s supermoons, or when the full moon appears larger and brighter than usual since it will be closest to Earth in its orbit.

Here’s the list of the remaining full moons, according to the Farmers’ Almanac .

October 26: Hunter’s moon

November 24: Beaver moon

December 23: Cold moon

Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto/Getty Images

准备好迎接双重天文奇观吧！秋季的第一轮满月将于本周末在夜空中达到最明亮状态——观星者们还将有机会观测到土星。

据EarthSky报道，月亮将于美国东部时间周六下午12:49达到最亮，但观测这轮银色圆月的最佳时间是当天日落之后。从周五到周一，这颗带环的行星在满月附近会呈现金色的光芒。

10月4日，土星将到达冲日位置——届时它将位于地球与太阳的对面。据EarthSky报道，冲日是观测土星的最佳时机，因为此时土星在轨道上距离地球最近，使其在天空中看起来更大更亮。

据美国宇航局称，海王星看起来也会离月球很近，但如果没有双筒望远镜或天文望远镜，以及晴朗黑暗的夜空，就很难看到这颗暗淡的气态巨行星。

如果云层遮挡视线，无法获得最佳观赏效果，那么周五和周日晚上月亮看起来也将接近满月。

据《老农夫年鉴》记载，九月的满月传统上被称为玉米月，标志着农民们通常收割玉米的时间。美国东北部的阿贝纳基人等原住民群体称之为玉米制造月，而阿西尼博因人则称之为黄叶月。

但今年九月的月相更广为人知的名称是“丰收月”，因为它与秋分（北半球秋季的正式开始）非常接近——秋分发生在周二。