See the Super Hunter’s Moon Tonight, the Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of the Year

This week, sky watchers get to experience the third in a series of four consecutive supermoons—a full moon that occurs near its closest point in its orbit of Earth. As you take in the splendor of Earth’s natural satellite, know that even among supermoons, this one is extra special.

October’s full moon is the closest supermoon of the year, at a distance of about 222,055 miles from Earth. September’s full moon was just behind it, at 222,131 miles away. While any supermoon can appear bigger and brighter than usual, the proximity of this one adds to its effect.

The exact moment of the full moon is 7:26 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, October 17. But our natural satellite will appear fully lit, treating skywatchers to a dazzling view, from Wednesday through Friday morning, per NASA’s Gordon Johnston.

Here’s what you need to know about the breathtaking “Super Hunter’s Moon.”

What is a supermoon?

As the moon orbits Earth, it charts an elliptical path—meaning sometimes it’s a bit farther from our planet and at other times slightly closer. The moon’s most distant point in its orbit is called its apogee, and its nearest point—which it approaches during a supermoon—is called the perigee. In general, a supermoon refers to a full moon within at least 90 percent of perigee.

The moon doesn’t come close enough to have a dramatic effect on us—the difference between supermoon tides and regular full moon tides is an “almost negligible” couple of inches, according to Royal Museums Greenwich. Still, it can make the moon extra dazzling.

Compared to a regular full moon, a supermoon appears 7 percent larger in the sky. And compared to a smaller-than-usual “micromoon” at apogee, a supermoon appears 14 percent larger. Viewing a side-by-side image comparison makes this obvious.

In practice, however, the change isn’t so dramatic. Even an observer highly attuned to the moon’s waxing and waning might not notice that a supermoon seems larger than a standard full moon.

But what might stand out is its brightness. A supermoon appears more luminous than the average full moon “by a noticeable amount,” writes EarthSky’s Marcy Curran. These closer-than-usual full moons might be 16 percent brighter than the norm.

When is the next supermoon?

Following this week’s supermoon, skywatchers eager to see another won’t have long to wait—November’s full moon is another supermoon, the last one of the year.

Three supermoons will occur in 2025, with one per month in October, November and December. A supermoon in January 2026 will close out that sequence of four big and bright full moons.

Supermoons will continue to happen periodically; and they always occur in groups. But the next time we’ll get four in a row, after the series that begins next year, won’t be until 2040.

What is a Hunter’s Moon?

Last month’s full moon, which coincided with a partial lunar eclipse, was known as the Harvest Moon. It earned that name because it was the full moon that occurred closest to the autumn equinox this year, which was on September 22.

Whichever full moon immediately follows the Harvest Moon is known in turn as the Hunter’s Moon, a term that first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1710.

“Since fields had recently been cleared out under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily spot deer and other animals that had come out to search for remaining scraps,” writes Catherine Boeckmann for the Old Farmer’s Almanac. “Additionally, foxes and wolves would also come out to prey on these animals.”

Other names for the event include the Dying Grass Moon, the Travel Moon and the Sanguine or Blood Moon. These names are traced to the Algonquin tribes in what is now the northeastern United States, per NASA.

What else can be seen in the sky?

Even though the supermoon is a stunning phenomenon, its glow in the sky can obscure other celestial sights.

“Most astronomers hate the full moon because its bright light messes up observing other objects,” Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, tells the Associated Press’ Marcia Dunn. “So it’s a bit hard for us to wax poetic about it even if it’s the biggest supermoon of 2024.”

Despite the moonlight, you should still be able to make out several planets. Four will be visible in the evening hours—Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars—with the last one, Mars, rising at 11:22 p.m. Eastern time, according to Space.com’s Jesse Emspak.

And don’t forget to look to the west at twilight to catch a glimpse of the passing Comet A3, nicknamed Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which is on its way out of our solar system. As the month goes on, the comet will gradually appear higher in the sky, but it will get dimmer, too. The moonlight may make its tail less visible than usual this week, but it will still be a neat sight, Cooke tells the AP. If the comet ever returns, astronomers say it won’t be for another 80,000 years.

Carlyn Kranking | | READ MORE

Carlyn Kranking is the assistant web editor for science and innovation.