October’s full moon, which is at full illumination on the 17th of the month, will be the year’s best Supermoon. It will look full Oct 16-19 and rise about the same time each night.
It will also appear brighter than past moons and its longer time lighting the sky has made it a good time for hunting but also a time to finish harvesting. BTW the October Moon is called the Hunter’s Moon. The September moon, a lunar cycle earlier was called the Harvest Moon.
“Super” as in Supermoon, is for what looks like its larger than usual size. That illusion is when its orbit, which is oval, brings it closer to Earth. That point is called its perigee. The Moon’s farthest point is its apogee
“Closer,” means 222,058 miles from Earth (357,367 kilometers). In comparison, September’s Supermoon on Sept. 18 was large but its perigee was 222,132 miles (357,486) from Earth.
Watch for the Hunter’s Moon on the horizon when the sun goes down but its peak illumination came already at 6:26 a.m., CT, Thursday.
For more information visit Time and Date and Old Farmer’s Almanac
