JT What To Shoot In Carolina's Night Skies - October 2025 Edition

Explore the celestial wonders in Carolina's night skies this October 2025, with photography tips brought to you by Juxtaposed Tides.

Alright, stargazers — welcome back to ✦ What to Shoot in Carolina’s Night Skies ✦ for October 2025. Nights are longer, the air’s crisp, and the sky is serving drama: prepare for an astronomical treat featuring a Harvest Supermoon, two meteor showers—one illuminated by the moon and the other cloaked in darkness—along with stunning planets that are perfect for photography. If the space weather cooperates, there’s even a chance to witness the mesmerizing aurora.

Carolina's Night Skies - October 2025 Edition

Below is your comprehensive, shoot-ready plan, complete with specific dates, creative framing suggestions, and essential field notes tailored for North Carolina and the East Coast.

The Quick-look Calendar (EDT)

• Oct 2–23 — Orionids active (best Oct 20–23, new moon window)

• Mon Oct 6 — Harvest Supermoon peaks 11:47–11:48 p.m. EDT (largest + brightest so far this year)

• Oct 6–10 — Draconids (peak ~Wed Oct 8 evening; moonlight heavy)

• Sun Oct 19 (dawn) — Ultra-slim crescent Moon kisses Venus low in the E sky (a gorgeous minimalist pairing)

• All month — Saturn early evenings, rings tipped razor-thin; Jupiter rising by late evening and trending toward prime season; Jupiter begins a rare multi-pass dance with Pollux this month into 2026

• Sep 30–Oct 1 window — elevated aurora chances reported (watch alerts; totally weather/space-weather dependent)

Headliners & How to Shoot Them

1) the Harvest Supermoon (Mon Oct 6)

This year, get ready to be dazzled because the Harvest Moon is making its grand entrance in October instead of the usual September! But that’s not all—this moon is a spectacular supermoon! Picture this: a massive, glowing orb lighting up the night sky, rising just 20–30 minutes later each night, giving you an extended golden-hour window for breathtaking skyline photography. Mark your calendars for the moonrise, which will happen between ~6:00-7:00 p.m.. And don’t miss the peak illumination, which will be at the magical moment of ~11:47–11:48 p.m. EDT. Get your cameras ready and prepare to be mesmerized by this celestial show!

Framing ideas (Carolinas):

• Outer Banks: moonrise over the Atlantic with Cape Hatteras or Bodie Island Light.

• Blue Ridge Parkway pull-offs near Craggy Gardens / Cowee Overlook: telephoto moon cresting layered ridges.

• Charleston marshlands or Huntington Beach SP: moon reflection trails across tidal flats.

Settings (start points): 200–600mm for a “big moon” skyline compression; moonrise: 1/125–1/250s, f/8–f/11, ISO 100–400. As it climbs and dims visually against a darker sky, lengthen shutter or bump ISO. Bracket if including city lights.

Pro tip: Use a photo-ephemeris app to pre-align moonrise behind a lighthouse, pier, or bridge; shoot Oct 5–7 to exploit the Harvest Moon’s “short-lag” rises.

A full moon rises behind silhouetted tree branches, creating a striking contrast against the night sky.

2) Draconids (Oct 6–10; peak Wed Oct 8)

A quirky, evening-peaking shower from Comet 21P. 2025 is moon-splashed thanks to the supermoon, but bright sporadics can still punch through. Face northwest after dusk; the radiant sits high near Draco’s head. Expect just a few per hour this year.

Shoot plan: Go long: 24mm, f/1.4–2.8, ISO 3200–6400, 10–15s. Use a sturdy intervalometer sequence and position the moon out of frame (behind a tree line, building, or ridge) to cut glare.

3) Orionids (best Mon–Thu, Oct 20–23)

Originating from Halley's Comet dust; these meteors are fast, photogenic, and occasionally leave persistent trails. In 2025, we are fortunate to have a new moon on October 21, ensuring that the peak nights are dark. Look towards the east after midnight as the radiant rises in Orion before dawn. The Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) is approximately 10–20 per hour under dark skies.

Where to go (darkish, practical):

• Pisgah NF (Black Balsam, Graveyard Fields pull-offs)

• Linville Gorge (Wiseman’s View; mind the road)

• Congaree NP boardwalk clearings (watch humidity; bug spray still useful)

• OBX beaches between villages (south of Frisco for darker stretches)

Meteor sequence recipe: 14–24mm, f/1.4–2.8, ISO 3200–6400, 10–20s, continuous for 2–3 hours. Aim 30–60° away from the radiant to catch longer trails; keep Orion in frame edges for context. Stack best frames later.

4) Venus + a ghost-thin crescent (Sun Oct 19, dawn)

Venus shines brightly as the Morning Star throughout the month, but on Oct 19, you can witness a stunning scene: a slender crescent Moon next to Venus low in the eastern sky, approximately 45–60 minutes before sunrise. This minimalist display is enchanting over Atlantic horizons, barrier-island dunes, or Piedmont tree lines.

Shoot it: 35–85mm for balanced sky/foreground; expose for the crescent (spot meter or manual), then pull up earthshine in RAW. Try a two-frame blend: short exposure for the crescent edge, longer for the blue hour gradient.

5) Planet season warm-up: Saturn + Jupiter

• Saturn:

  At nightfall, it drifts through the southeast with an ultra-slim ring tilt, appearing almost invisible in small telescopes and offering a unique view in close-ups. It looks impressive with 85–200mm lenses over church steeples, docks, or ridgelines during the blue hour.

• Jupiter:

  Now rising in the late evening, it dominates the sky after midnight, moving close to Pollux in Gemini as a rare triple-conjunction sequence begins in October, December, and May. Planetary telephoto timelapses over mountain gaps will be captivating.

Two silhouetted figures gaze in awe at the vibrant pink aurora borealis illuminating the starry night sky in Midway, NC.

Aurora Wildcard (read this section like a surf report)

We’re near solar maximum for Cycle 25, which boosts the odds of mid-latitudes catching a (rare) show during strong geomagnetic storms. Credible outlets flagged Sep 30–Oct 1 for possible U.S. visibility; similar windows can pop up again with little lead time. Translation: keep aurora alerts on, keep batteries charged. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center+2Forbes+2

Vibrant pink aurora borealis dances across a starry night sky, casting a serene glow over the silhouette of trees during a rare display in Midway, NC.

If alerts fire for the Carolinas: Race towards expansive northern vistas such as the OBX sound-side, Lake Mattamuskeet causeway, or elevated western viewpoints. Capture the scene using a 14–24mm lens, f/1.4–2.8 aperture, ISO 3200, with a 5–10 second exposure; then fine-tune your settings. A subtle "picket fence" or purple STEVE arc qualifies — it will appear on your sensor before it is visible to the naked eye.

Week-by-Week Route Card

Oct 1–7 — Supermoon prep and telephoto cityscapes. Scout lines for Oct 5–7 moonrises. Bonus: Saturn at dusk for ring-edge portraits.

Oct 8–10 — Draconids experiment night (early evening), then switch to Saturn/Jupiter portraits when the moon overwhelms the meteors.

Oct 14–16 — Jupiter rising earlier; try a star-trail ring around church spires with Jupiter as a bright anchor.

Oct 18–20 (dawn) — Venus + razor-crescent minimalism on the 19th. Scout flat eastern horizons.

Oct 20–23 — Orionids main event: dark skies, blue-hour foregrounds (balds, dunes, piers), then meteor sequences post-midnight. New moon help on the 21st.

Oct 24–31 — Deep-sky season teaser: Andromeda with telephoto from Bortle 3–4 ridges; Jupiter climbing toward dominance.

Field Kit & Exposure Cheat-Sheet

• Lenses: 14–24mm (meteors & aurora), 24–70mm (Venus/crescent landscapes), 70–200/100–400/200–600 (big-moon cityscapes).

• Tripod + intervalometer (meteors), spare batteries (cold nights drain faster), dew heaters or hand warmers for glass.

• Baseline settings:

  • Meteors: 14–24mm, f/1.4–2.8, ISO 3200–6400, 10–20s, continuous.

  • Aurora: 14–24mm, f/1.4–2.0, ISO 3200, 4–10s; adjust to freeze pillars.

  • Moonrise telephoto: 1/125–1/250s, f/8–f/11, ISO 100–400; switch to bracketed blends as twilight deepens.

  • Venus/crescent: manual; expose for the lit crescent edge, then lift earthshine in post.

Safety + logistics: mountain overlooks can frost; beach winds sand-blast sensors — pack a blower and microfiber. In parks after hours, know gate times. Red-light headlamp only.

Stargazing Highlights for October 2025: Harvest Supermoon Launches the Month, with Meteor Showers and Planetary Alignments Taking Center Stage. Download or Screenshot this handy Juxtaposed Tides tool!

Composition Prompts (JT style)

• “Harvest Lineup” — Supermoon rising behind a pier or lighthouse. Shoot from 0.5–1.5 miles with 400–600mm to stack scale.

• “Orion Over Water” — Meteors streaking above a pier; frame Orion on the right third, long exposures left for meteor luck.

• “Morning Star Minimalism” — Venus + crescent: bare dune grass foreground, negative space sky, one delicate cloud band.

• “Razor Rings” — Saturn at civil twilight with a crisp foreground silhouette (silo, church, live oak).

• “Gemini Giant” — Jupiter near Pollux over a ridgeline; time-lapse to show the planet’s march this season. When the Curves Line Up

Weather + Light-Pollution strategy

• Favor coastal sites for clearer horizons on supermoon + Venus mornings; favor high country for Orionids transparency.

• Use a light-pollution map to pick Bortle 3–4 pockets (OBX south of Avon, Blue Ridge pull-offs between Craggy Gardens and Mount Mitchell, Upstate SC countryside east of Caesars Head).

• Always check cloud cover within 6–12 hours of go-time; for aurora, rely on short-fuse alerts, not week-out hype. Forbes

Sources We Checked So You Don’t Have To

• Harvest Supermoon timing & context (Oct 6 @ ~11:47–11:48 p.m. EDT; rare October Harvest Moon): Space.com; Farmers’ Almanac; Adler/Planetarium notes. Space+2Farmers' Almanac+2

• Supermoon series begins October (first of three): The Independent; LiveScience roundups. The Independent+1

• Draconids dates/peak & moonlight caveat: EarthSky; timeanddate. EarthSky+1

• Orionids peak window & new-moon advantage: EarthSky; AMS; Space.com. EarthSky+2American Meteor Society+2

• Venus + Moon Oct 19 (predawn): Adler Planetarium; Planetary Society monthly. Adler Planetarium+1

• Saturn ring tilt note this apparition; Jupiter trend + Pollux triple-conjunction sequence into 2026: The Times (UK) skywatch piece; EarthSky (opposition timing); WhenTheCurvesLineUp (triple-conjunction detail). The Times+2EarthSky+2

• Aurora context (solar maximum & late-Sep events/alerts): NOAA/SWPC cycle note; Forbes + regional coverage of Sep 30–Oct 1 storms. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center+2Forbes+2