Today, October 17, the sky will be lit up by the Hunter’s Moon, the third of four supermoons this year. The Earth’s moon will be large and bright, which is why this full moon has been called the “supermoon of the year.”
How it conveys Oxu.AzRBC writes about this.
What is “Hunter’s Moon”
The “Hunter Moon” is the full moon that occurs after the autumn equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, this phenomenon occurs in the fall, in the Southern Hemisphere – in the spring. This year, the Hunter’s Moon falls on October 17th.
According to the data, the peak of the supermoon will occur on Thursday at 15:28 Baku time. The Moon will be at the perigee of its orbit at a distance of 357,172 km from the Earth (for comparison, the average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,400 km). The unusually bright Earth satellite will be visible on the night of October 18 and two nights after that. The Moon will be in the constellation Pisces in the coming days.
The Moon’s orbit is elliptical, so each month the moon is closest to Earth (perigee) and farthest from Earth (apogee). When a full moon occurs near perigee, the moon appears larger and brighter. This is called a supermoon.
Where does the name “Hunter’s Moon” come from?
The name “Hunter’s Moon” comes from the traditions of peoples who lived in temperate latitudes and depended on the seasonal cycles of nature. After the harvest, the hunting season began, when the bright light of the Moon at night allowed hunters to pursue prey even in the dark. It is because of this that the full moon at this time of year gets its name.
According to NASA, the earliest written mention of the term “Hunter’s Moon” is recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1710. Some Indian tribes called this celestial phenomenon differently – the “Bloody Moon” or the “Moon of Dying Grass.” These names are recorded in the Farmer’s Almanac, an American periodical that publishes long-term forecasts for agriculture.
How to watch the Hunter’s Moon
The supermoon can be observed with the naked eye on a clear night. For a more detailed study of the lunar surface, it is recommended to use binoculars or a small telescope, which will allow you to better view individual areas on the side of the satellite facing the Earth.
The best time to watch the full moon is at sunset, when the earth’s satellite is close to the horizon. During this time, the Moon appears larger due to an effect known as the “moon illusion.” It occurs because our brain distorts the interpretation of sizes and distances against the background of earthly objects.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will occur on November 16th. At this time, the Earth’s satellite will be in the constellation Aries. To the naked eye, the Moon will appear full for several days before and after this date. This year, near the November supermoon, you can also see the Pleiades, a star cluster located in the constellation Taurus. It is made up of young, hot stars and is one of the most famous and brightest objects in the night sky, visible even to the naked eye. There are about several hundred stars in the Pleiades, but only the six or seven brightest are usually visible, giving the cluster the name “Seven Sisters” in ancient Greek mythology.
