October's full Hunter Moon is the next supermoon in 2024

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At dusk, keep your eyes on the horizon to witness a stunning moonrise this evening. The next supermoon of the year will soon appear big and bright in the fall sky.

The October Hunter's Moon is expected to peak around 7:26 a.m. ET on Thursday, but the silver orb will appear Wednesday evening through Friday morning, according to NASA.

According to NASA, this full moon is considered the third of four consecutive supermoons expected this year.

The celestial phenomenon occurs a few times during each lunar cycle because the Moon's orbit is elliptical, meaning there are periods when Earth's only permanent natural satellite is closer or further away from the planet.

Along the Moon's orbit, the point of closest proximity is called perigee, when the Moon is an average of 226,000 miles (363,300 kilometers) from Earth. When a full moon phase coincides with perigee, a supermoon event occurs.

Supermoon is a term that describes the moon when it is closer to Earth than normal.

Typically, the moon orbits its home planet at an average distance of about 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers), but during this month's supermoon it will be just 222,095 miles (357,428 kilometers) from Earth, making it the closest full moon of the year 2024 does.

According to EarthSky, during a supermoon event the sphere can appear up to 8% larger and 16% brighter than an average-sized full moon.

The October moon is not actually larger or brighter than any other moon, but it may appear that way because it is seen near the horizon shortly after sunset, Dr. Robin L. Shelton, Professor of Physics at the University of Georgia.

Many people associate the Hunter's Moon with its orange color when it rises, but the same is true of all full moons. The color, Shelton explained, is the result of optical effects in which light passes through Earth's atmosphere.

The Hunter's Moon is the first full moon after the autumnal equinox, which occurred on September 22nd this year. The lunar event marks the change of seasons.

The name comes from the indigenous people who benefited from the bright glow of the moon as hunters preparing for long winters. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, hunting also tended to be easier this time of year because the fields were already cleared.

Other names for October's full moon among various indigenous peoples include the moon of first frost among the Potawatomi people, the time of harvesting corn by the Apache tribe, or the moon of falling leaves among the Anishinaabe people.

Traditions of this time include the Festival of the Hunter's Moon, an annual recreation of the mid-18th century fall gatherings of the French and Native Americans at Fort Ouiatenon, 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) southwest of West Lafayette, Indiana.

According to EarthSky, the hunter's moon is expected to be joined by Jupiter, a red giant star called Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster. Depending on your location, these cosmic wonders may be visible until dawn on Friday and Saturday nights.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), which just made its next flyby of Earth on Saturday, is visible in the west shortly after sunset. Look for the celestial wonder and its long tail to sweep across the sky until October 24th. Although it is visible to the naked eye, binoculars or a small telescope are certainly helpful. Don't miss your chance to spot the comet, which won't orbit again for at least 80,000 years.

Look for bright Jupiter to appear low in the eastern sky near the Moon around 10 p.m. on October 20, and Mars will appear like a red dot near the Moon in the early morning hours of October 23 and 24 appear high up. according to NASA.

The Beaver Moon on November 15th is the fourth and final supermoon of the year. And the cold moon on December 15th will be the last full moon of 2024.

And here are the peak dates for the remaining fall and winter meteor showers, according to the American Meteor Society.

• Orionids: 21st–22nd. October

• Southern Taurids: 5th–6th centuries. November

• Northern Taurids: 11th–12th centuries November

• Leonids: 17th–18th centuries November

• Geminids: 13th-14th. December

• Ursids: 21st–22nd. December