We're about to get the second of three supermoons that will close out 2025, rounding off a pretty spectacular year for stargazing that's given us beautiful planets, eclipses and even a bright comet or two.
The November supermoon rises on the fifth of the month, giving us a slightly bigger, slightly brighter full Moon than usual.
But the evenings approaching full Moon are just as special as the night of full Moon itself, especially when there's a beautiful naked-eye planet visible at the same time.
That's the case this week, when Saturn is bright and easily seen with the naked eye all night long, and is about to have a tango with the Moon just in time for Halloween.
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Saturn's the star of the show
Saturn's one of the best planets to see in the sky at the moment.
It's visible in the southeast just after sunset, climbing higher in the sky and shining prominently in the south by 9pm.
By midnight, it's in the southwest and descending towards the western horizon, which it dips below long before sunrise.
Saturn is bright at the moment because it's just past opposition, which is when it's opposite the Sun in the sky.
Opposition refers to when a planet or other celestial body is on the other side of Earth from the Sun.
From Earth that means that, when the Sun is setting in the west, the planet at opposition is rising in the east, and visible all night.
A planet at opposition is also brighter than at other times, making this period one of the best times to observe it.
If you've never taken time to seek out Saturn with the naked eye before, now's the time to do so, as it will appear like a bright 'star' in the sky. You may even already have seen it, without knowing it.
A good stargazing app will help you spot it, if you can't locate it yourself. When you do find it, grab a pair of binoculars or a telescope and take a closer look.
Can you see Saturn's rings? They're tricky to see at the moment, because they're currently angled edge-on from our perspective on Earth, so they'll appear very thin.
But perhaps you may be able to spot some of Saturn's brightest moons, like its largest moon Titan.
For more info, read our guides on how to observe Saturn and how to observe Saturn's moons.
If you don't have binoculars or a telescope, fear not, because over the coming evenings, the ringed planet is about to have a close encounter with the Moon.
This close encounter occurs because, while the stars and planets rise and fall in roughly the same position each night, the Moon appears to track eastwards, night after night.
That means the Moon effectively hops across the sky, meeting different planets and bright stars as it does so.
When the Moon is approaching full, as it is currently, that can make for a very pleasant period of naked-eye stargazing.
Here, we'll show you how to make the most of the Moon's meeting with Saturn, from now and over the Halloween weekend.
29 October
Saturn rises in the east around 4pm, and by the time the sky gets properly dark around 6pm, Saturn is high in the south east.
If you do decide to get a closer look at Saturn with a telescope, see if you can spot Neptune too, to the left of Saturn.
Neptune isn't visible with the naked eye, but should be visible through a telescope under dark skies. Again, a good stargazing app can help you locate it.
By around 6pm, the Moon is in the south, and you'll notice that the side facing us is just-under-half-lit.
It's currently 'waxing', which means the Earth-facing side of the Moon is becoming more and more illuminated night after night.
The Moon is around its 'first quarter' phase, which means it's a quarter of the way through its full cycle, which takes it from new Moon to full Moon and back to new Moon again.
The Moon sets in the southwest around 10pm, and Saturn sets in the west in the very early hours of Thursday morning.
30 October
Tonight, Saturn rises in pretty much the same location, but by 6pm, you'll notice the Moon has moved further east, compared to the previous evening.
As a result, the Moon is closer to Saturn tonight.
The Moon's Earth-facing side is also more illuminated, and that lit portion is now just slightly larger than the unlit portion. This is a gibbous Moon.
31 October
By 6pm, Saturn and the Moon are together on the southeastern horizon, just in time for a beautiful conjunction to mark Halloween night.
The Moon is now past first quarter and, if you've been observing the Moon over the past few nights, you'll notice its lit portion is increasing with each passing evening.
This waxing of the Moon will continue until 5 November, when the Moon will be full.
The Moon sets before Saturn so, while they may appear to be at the same 'height' in the sky during early evening, if you follow them towards midnight, you'll see the Moon start to get lower in the sky, compared to Saturn.
1 November
Tonight's a great night to observe Saturn and the Moon together. If you only get out to do some stargazing one evening this week, make it this one.
By 6pm, Saturn and the Moon are very close together in the southeast, and they'll track across the sky together throughout the course of this evening.
Look again at 9pm and Saturn and the Moon are in the south, the Moon now lower in the sky than Saturn.
It being Saturday night, you may have the opportunity to stay up a bit later than usual.
If you have a clear western horizon, you may be able to follow Saturn and the Moon until they sink below the horizon around 2am.
2 November
Notice anything different? Tonight Saturn and the Moon are again visible in the southeast after sunset. But now, the Moon is to the left of Saturn.
It looks like Saturn and the Moon have swapped places, when in fact it's the Moon that's tracked eastwards, whereas Saturn has stayed in roughly the same place.
If, like last night, you can stay with them until the early hours of Monday morning, you'll notice that this time, Saturn dips below the horizon before the Moon.
3 November
Tonight, the Moon is further away from Saturn, and it will continue to get further from the planet over the coming nights.
But stay with the Moon, because by 4/5 November, it will be a full Moon.
This November full Moon is known as the Beaver Moon, and it's also a supermoon, the second supermoon of three in a row that we'll get before the end of the year.
Does the Moon look bigger and brighter than usual? If it does, you may be witnessing the Moon illusion, which is nothing to do with it being a supermoon, but rather an optical illusion that occurs when the Moon is close to the horizon.
Also in the night sky on Halloween weekend 2025
There's plenty to see in the night sky at the moment, as we enter the depths of dark-sky season and have truly long, dark nights.
Here are some of the best things to see
Pleiades and the Hyades
Two of the best, easiest naked-eye star clusters are visible at the moment.
The Pleiades is easily visible with the naked eye, appearing as a blue smudge against the inky black darkness. Binoculars reveal a beautiful collection of blue stars, like a mini 'Big Dipper'.
The Hyades, meanwhile, is an open star cluster that looks like a sideways 'V', punctuated by bright red star Aldebaran.
You can see both the Pleiades and the Hyades in the eastern sky around 8pm. The Pleiades is above the Hyades.
Orion
Keep observing the eastern horizon and, by around 10.30pm, you'll see the constellation Orion rising.
Orion is a true sign that winter is on the way. Get out your binoculars and explore the beautiful Orion Nebula, which hangs below the three stars of Orion's Belt.
Jupiter
At the same time Orion is visible, look further east and you'll see bright planet Jupiter, appearing as a bright star.
Jupiter is currently one of the best planets to see in the sky, but it's best seen between midnight and dawn.
However, if you have a clear enough horizon eastern horizon, you should be able to catch it before midnight.
Once you've found it, you'll notice it's forming a triangle with Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of Gemini.
Summer Triangle
It may seem counter-intuitive, but the three-star pattern known as the Summer Triangle is high and prominent in the sky at the moment.
It's made of stars Deneb, Vega and Altair, all of which are bright and visible with the naked eye.
You can see the Summer Triangle high in the southwest around 7pm. Once you've found it, see if you can locate and observe some of the Summer Triangle's deep-sky objects with your telescope.
Great Square of Pegasus
The Great Square of Pegasus is a four-star pattern made up of stars Alpheratz, Markab, Scheat and Algenib.
It's visible with the naked eye and you can see it all month. Locate it in the southeast around 19:00 UT and watch it climb higher in the sky until midnight, when it starts descending towards the western horizon.
Once you've found the square, use it to locate the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, visible in the chart above.
Share your stargazing adventures and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
