What Did You Think of the First Supermoon of 2025 in ID, WA, and UT

If you went outside earlier this week at night, you may have been confused for a moment as the moon seemed to be shining like a second sun. Well, not that bright, but bright enough to provide enough light to see late into the evening.

The moon was special this week; it was full and even had a special name: Harvest Moon.

This 2025 Supermoon Just Happened and Was the Biggest and Brightest of the Year

I learned that the moon was called Harvest Moon this week because my son told me on the way home from a late band practice at school. I was impressed he had learned something at school and remembered it. But even more impressive was how bright and large the full moon. If we had been any closer to Halloween, I would have questioned the safety of the world.

Luckily, I didn’t see any werewolves or other crazy things happen during the full moon. Though it was crazy how big and bright the moon looked. Did I mention that the moon looked gigantic and super bright? The brightness and size are actually why it got the name Harvest Moon (it could also be called the Hunter Moon).

The best night to see the Harvest Moon in its full glory was October 6th into the morning of the 7th, according to online reports. But I would argue that the best night was Tuesday into Wednesday because the moon rose earlier, around 7:30PM on Tuesday, vs almost midnight on Monday.

What Was So Special About the Moon This Week

What made the full moon so special was that it was the first supermoon of the year and the largest and brightest full moon of the year. That’s where the Harvest Moon name comes from: the full moon closest to the autumn equinox allowed farmers to work later in their fields to harvest crops before the chilly weather arrived.

The Harvest Moon was late this year. It happened on September 18th last year and September 29th in 2023. The Harvest Moon in 2024 was even more special than other years because it also involved a partial lunar eclipse. There will be two more supermoons in 2025, and you can learn about those in the gallery below.

This Harvest Moon should not be confused with the amazing Neil Young song or the popular video game that shares the name.

There have already been a few full moons this year and more to come. We have the full list of each full moon of 2025 in the gallery below.