NASA image captures Harvest Moon rising beside erupting Mount Etna

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 1, 2026 features a composite photograph of the Harvest Moon rising in Sicily beside Mount Etna. The image was taken last weekend outside the town of Nicosia. It shows the Moon rising as the sky darkens, while ash and gas from Mount Etna appear higher in the background.

Lower clouds reflect colours described as antitwilight. A pink band across the lower sky is the Belt of Venus, an atmospheric feature visible around sunset and sunrise. The photograph shows the Moon at its full phase.

During a full moon, the Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky, so the Moon rises as the Sun sets. NASA notes that the September full moon is known as the Harvest Moon in some Northern Hemisphere cultures. The lunar phase cycle lasts approximately 29.5 days, while the Moon takes about 27 days to orbit Earth.

The Astronomy Picture of the Day feature includes an explanation written by a professional astronomer. The supplied material also says NASA has moved its main Astronomy Picture of the Day website from apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod. No further scientific analysis of Mount Etna’s activity or the image’s photographic technique is provided in the source material.