SINGAPORE – Astronomy enthusiasts in Singapore are in for a triple treat in the final quarter of 2025, with three supermoons set to light up the night skies – spectacles that are coming soon after the dramatic blood moon on Sept 8. The supermoons should be easily visible to the naked eye anywhere in Singapore as long as the skies are clear. According to the Observatory at Science Centre Singapore, the year-end celestial line-up begins with the Harvest Moon on Oct 7, which will also be the first supermoon of 2025.
It will rise at around 7pm and will be clearly visible from about 8pm onwards in Singapore. Traditionally, the Harvest Moon’s early evening brightness once gave farmers in the Northern Hemisphere extra hours in which to gather crops, lending the moon its name. The Beaver Moon comes next on Nov 5. Its name reflects the time of year when beavers prepare for winter in North America, and when fur trappers once set their traps before waterways froze.
The sequence concludes with the Cold Moon on Dec 4. True to its name, it marks the arrival of the long, cold nights of December in the Northern Hemisphere.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the point in its orbit closest to Earth, making it appear 6 per cent to 7 per cent larger and brighter than usual.
Draconid meteor shower
Alongside the October supermoon, stargazers can also look forward to the Draconid meteor shower in the same month. It will run from Oct 7 to Oct 10 and peak on Oct 8. The meteor shower, which is visible to the naked eye, occurs annually, though the intensity is highly irregular.
Those who wish to catch it should seek darker locations such as parks, beaches, reservoirs, or open spaces away from city lights. Visibility may be affected by cloud cover.
According to the observatory, the Draconids are the sixth of 11 meteor showers visible in Singapore in 2025. They follow the Perseids in August and will be succeeded by the Orionids, which peak between Oct 21 and Oct 22.
Originating from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, the Draconids are named after their radiant point in the constellation Draco the Dragon. A radiant point refers to the area in the sky from which the meteors of a meteor shower appear to originate.
Unlike most meteor showers, which are best seen after midnight, the Draconids can be viewed early in the evening. Though typically modest at around 10 meteors per hour, the shower has been known to produce dramatic bursts. In 2025, however, the bright full moon will likely make the faint streaks harder to spot.
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