September’s full moon turns red for the longest totality since 2022
Set your eyes on the eastern horizon at dusk on Sunday, September 7, 2025. The month’s full moon—known this year as the Full Corn Moon 2025—arrives with a show: a total lunar eclipse that keeps the moon inside Earth’s umbra for 82 minutes, the longest totality since November 8, 2022. The moon reaches full phase around 2:10 p.m. EDT (18:10 UTC), but the real spectacle happens after dark.
This eclipse favors the Eastern Hemisphere. Totality is visible from Australia, much of Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe. North America sits this one out; the eclipse wraps up before moonrise there. Don’t let that put you off if you’re stateside—full moons always rise at or near sunset, and the Corn Moon will climb into view looking huge and photogenic, thanks to the well-known (but purely psychological) “moon illusion.”
Why “Corn Moon” and not “Harvest Moon”? The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox on September 22. Most years that happens in September, but every few years the timing flips to October. In 2025, October 6 takes the Harvest Moon title, leaving September with the Corn Moon. Different cultures add their own flavors: European traditions mention the Wine Moon, Barley Moon, and Song Moon. Among the Anishinaabeg, it’s “Wabaabagaa Giizis,” the Changing Leaves Moon—a nod to the first color shifts in northern forests.
What makes a lunar eclipse turn the moon red? During totality, Earth blocks direct sunlight, but our atmosphere bends and filters some light into the shadow. Shorter blue wavelengths scatter away, while reds and oranges slip through and paint the lunar surface. If Earth’s atmosphere holds extra dust or smoke—say from volcanic eruptions or wildfire seasons—the moon can look coppery or even brick-red. Local haze can deepen the color too, especially near the horizon.
Expect a slow, cinematic sequence. The moon first brushes Earth’s faint outer shadow (the penumbra), then the bite of the dark umbra creeps across the disk. After totality’s 82-minute run, the process reverses. The full event typically spans several hours, but the heart of it—totality—is the moment people remember. Unlike a solar eclipse, you don’t need eye protection. Binoculars or a small telescope are optional and reveal added texture along crater rims and maria as the shadow advances.
Timing depends on your location, but here’s the viewing picture in broad strokes:
- Australia and East Asia: Totality falls in the evening to late night, well placed for comfortable viewing.
- South and Southeast Asia: Prime-time hours, with the moon high enough for clear sightlines.
- Africa and parts of Europe: Totality occurs late night through early morning; in western sections, the moon may set during the later phases.
- North America: No eclipse visible; watch for a bold full moonrise at dusk and excellent conditions for landscape photos.
If you’re aiming for photos, plan ahead. For the bright full moon before or after the eclipse, start near ISO 100–200, f/8, and 1/125–1/250 second. During totality, the moon dims dramatically—think ISO 800–1600, f/2.8–f/5.6, and exposures from 1/4 to a few seconds. Use a tripod, a remote or self-timer, and manual focus on the lunar edge. For moonrise shots, scout a site with a clear eastern horizon and foreground silhouettes—bridges, towers, lighthouses, grain silos, or tree lines add scale and drama.
If you’re cloudy or can’t catch totality, there’s plenty more in the sky this week. Saturn continues to rule the evening, high and steady for telescopes. The ringed planet’s largest moon, Titan, stages an occultation event on September 11, shortly after 11 p.m. EDT. In simple terms, that’s a lineup where Titan covers—or passes behind—another object from our viewpoint. Even modest backyard scopes can track the dance, and steady seeing makes a big difference.
Mars adds a clean binocular target a day later. Before dawn on September 12 (around 4 a.m. EDT), the Red Planet slides about 2 degrees north of Spica, the blue-white heart of Virgo. Two degrees is roughly four full-moon widths, so both should fit easily in a low-power telescope field or standard binoculars. The contrast—a rusty Mars against Spica’s icy hue—pops if your sky is steady and dark.
Moonlight does wash out faint stars this week, especially on the nights bracketing the full moon. That’s not all bad. Bright planets, first-magnitude stars, and tight conjunctions often look cleaner against a simplified sky. If you’re new to stargazing, the full moon is a painless starting point: it’s easy to find, requires no specialized gear, and turns even a quick walk into a sky check.
One more planning note. Full moons rise close to sunset and set near sunrise, but exact times vary by location. In North America on Sunday, the Corn Moon will lift above the eastern horizon within about 20–40 minutes of local sunset for most places—great for catching that oversized-looking disk near buildings or mountains. In the eclipse zones, consider altitude and timing: a low moon can be more atmospheric, but haze can dull the view; a higher moon is sharper through binoculars and scopes.
The next few weeks stay active. Saturn remains well placed during the evenings, with rings angled nicely for small telescopes. As the moon wanes, deep-sky objects return: globular clusters, the Andromeda galaxy, and the Summer Triangle’s nebulae get easier again. Keep your tripod handy—clear, cool nights after the equinox can be the best of the year.
How to watch and make the most of it
Quick checklist for Sunday night:
- Pick a spot with a clean view east; hills, lakeshores, and rooftops work well.
- Check the forecast and give yourself a backup location if low clouds are likely near the horizon.
- Bring binoculars if you have them; even 7x50s make the eclipse shading pop.
- For photography, arrive 30–45 minutes early to frame foregrounds and lock focus before it gets dark.
- During totality (if visible from your location), bracket exposures—take a series at different shutter speeds to capture both the red glow and faint star field around the moon.
Whether you’re in the path of totality or just catching a brilliant moonrise, this Corn Moon is worth stepping outside for. If you’re in Australia, Asia, Africa, or parts of Europe, the 82-minute totality is the headline. If you’re in North America, the trade-off is a photogenic rising moon at dusk and a week capped by Saturn’s steady presence and a clean Mars–Spica pairing before dawn.