The brightest moon of the year will cross the night sky on Wednesday

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Astronomers say the brightest moon of the year will be visible Wednesday evening and peak Thursday for anyone willing to get up before dawn to catch a glimpse.

The supermoon will appear on the horizon just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday and reach its peak and brightest phase at 4:26 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday.

“This will be the third of four consecutive supermoons and by far the brightest (for 2024),” NASA's Gordon Johnston said. “As the full moon after the 'Harvest Moon' (in September), this will be the 'Hunter's Moon'.”

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, this week's supermoon will rotate up to 222,055 miles from Earth – the closest position of the year, which explains its luminosity.

“While a supermoon is technically larger and brighter than a normal full moon, it only appears about 7% larger, which may be an imperceptible difference to the human eye depending on other conditions,” the almanac says.

“As the moon moves across the horizon toward sunset, it may appear larger and more orange—perfect for the fall season.”

While the Harvest Moon gets its name from appearing in time for the fall harvest and assisting farmers who need light to transport their produce from the fields after dark, the Hunter's Moon derives its name from various traditions and traditions, according to Johnston and the Almanac traditions.

According to some accounts, it got its name from game hunters in the 18th century who relied on the fall supermoons to watch deer, elk, buffalo and other wildlife grazing in the moonlight to gain weight before the winter season. Johnston said Native American tribes called the fall supermoons “travel moons” because they signaled when it was time to leave the mountains for lower elevations ahead of winter weather.

For details on when and where to look for the moons, see https://www.almanac.com/astronomy/moon-rise-and-set and https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/.