The first full moon of the fall of this year.. The sky witnesses the `Hunter's Moon` on Thursday

2024-10-16 2024-10-16T12:06:05Z

Arab Weather - Astronomy enthusiasts around the world are preparing to observe the third giant moon out of four successive giant moons, which is the largest and brightest this year. The full moon will appear at sunset and continue to shine until dawn, specifically on Thursday morning, October 17, at 4:26 am GMT.

Why does a supermoon appear bigger and brighter?

According to NASA, the moon's orbit around Earth is not perfectly circular, but rather elliptical, which results in the moon's distance from Earth varying between about 226,000 miles and 251,000 miles. Space.com reported that the average distance between the moon and Earth is 239,000 miles, but Hunter's Moon will come as close as 357,364 km (222,056 miles) away.

A supermoon is a special type of full moon that can appear up to 14% larger than a full moon at its farthest point from Earth and will be up to 30% brighter than a regular full moon during the months of the year. This happens because the moon is at its closest point to Earth, known as perigee.

The appearance of the giant moon in the constellation Pisces

The supermoon is expected to be in the constellation Pisces, and will appear bright and full not only on the day of its fullness, but also the day before and the day after. The moon will appear approximately halfway between Saturn, which will be to its upper right, and Jupiter, which will be to its lower left.

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Historical names of Hunter's Moon

The famous October moon is known as the “Hunter’s Moon,” a name derived from an ancient tradition that referred to the time when hunters prepared for winter. It is also called by other names such as the Falling Leaf Moon and the Blood Moon, due to its coincidence with the period of falling leaves and the changing colors of nature.

The Hunter's Moon is the first full moon of the fall of the year , occurring after the autumnal equinox on Sunday, September 22, shortly after the Harvest Moon on September 17.

Next supermoon date

The next full moon will be on November 15, known as the Beaver Moon or Frost Moon, and will be the last supermoon of 2024, concluding this year's series of amazing astronomical phenomena.