Hunter’s Moon follows the Harvest Moon.
When and the place to look in 2023: For us within the Northern Hemisphere, the brilliant, spherical Hunter’s Moon – full moon following the Harvest Moon – rises within the east round sundown on October 28. You should definitely watch on the nights earlier than and after that, too.
Crest of the full moon falls at 20:24 UTC on October 28, 2023. That’s 3:24 p.m. CDT, and greater than two hours earlier than moonrise in central North America.
Traits of the Hunter’s Moon: The moon is roundest on the day that it’s full. And, on the day of full moon, the moon rises closest to the time of sundown. However the nights earlier than and after full moon will function a round-looking moon, too. And, just like the Harvest Moon, the Hunter’s moon is characterised by a shorter-than-usual time between successive moonrises for a number of nights in a row, across the night time of full moon. So we within the Northern Hemisphere will see a number of nights of full-looking moons in twilight skies, ascending within the east because the sun units within the west, for a number of nights.
For the Southern Hemisphere, the nights round this full moon function a longer-than-usual time between successive moonrises. So, for the southern a part of the globe, the moon will rise on these nights in a sky that’s already darkish.
And there’s an additional added attraction on these nights close to the 2023 Hunter’s Moon. It’s the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter – shining like a floodlight because the brightest “star” in our night sky – now nearly closest to Earth for this year.
What’s particular a couple of Hunter’s Moon?
A full moon is all the time reverse the sun in space, and reverse the sun in our sky. So all full moons rise within the east round sundown. And all full moons set within the west round dawn. However the varied full moons have totally different traits.
On common, the moon rises about 50 minutes later every day. However when a full moon occurs near the autumnal equinox – both a Harvest or a Hunter’s Moon – the moon (at mid-temperate latitudes) rises solely about 30 to 35 minutes later each day for a number of days earlier than and after the full moon. The reason being that the ecliptic – or the moon’s orbital path – makes a slender angle with the night horizon across the time of the autumn equinox.
The result’s that there’s a shorter-than-usual lag time between successive moonrises across the full Hunter’s Moon.
Early night moonrises make each Hunter’s Moon particular. Each full moon rises round sundown. After the total Hunter’s Moon, you’ll see the moon ascending within the east comparatively quickly after sundown for a number of days in a row at northerly latitudes.
An excellent supply of moonrise occasions is the Custom Sunrise Sunset Calendar. When you get to that web page, be sure you click on the field for “moon phases” and “moonrise and moonset occasions.”
By the way in which, because the Harvest Moon is the closest full moon to the equinox, it might probably come both earlier than or after it. So the Harvest Moon can generally fall in October, which it does each three or 4 years. When the Harvest Moon falls in October, the Hunter’s Moon – the full moon following the Harvest Moon – will fall in early November.
That’ll occur subsequent in 2025.
A phrase about Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and the 2nd-brightest “star” (actually planet) in our night time sky. And late October/ early November is one of the best time to see Jupiter for all of 2023. The video under has extra:
A be aware to these within the Southern Hemisphere
If you happen to’re within the Southern Hemisphere, your Harvest and Hunter’s Moons heart on the March equinox, your autumn equinox. A lot of what we are saying in his put up – the final details about Harvest and Hunter’s Moons – applies to you, too… subsequent March and April.
Proper now, your full moon will probably be doing the other of a Hunter’s Moon. That’s, for the Southern Hemisphere across the time of the September and October full moons, there’s a longer-than-usual time between moonrises on successive nights.
How did the Hunter’s Moon get its title?
There are various tales surrounding the names of the moons, together with the Hunter’s Moon. From a sensible standpoint, the Harvest Moon and subsequent Hunter’s Moon offered further mild within the evenings for farmers and hunters to complete their duties.
Each full moon has a slew of nicknames tied to months of the yr. However some moon names, such because the Harvest and Hunter’s Moons, are tied to seasons.
In North America, the Harvest Moon was a time when the brilliant moon meant farmers might keep out later, working of their fields, gathering within the crops earlier than the primary freeze. After the harvest, farmers would flip to looking deer and different animals to bolster their meals shops earlier than winter. The brilliant mild of the full moon and virtually full moons would allow them to hunt into the night hours. So, we name it a Hunter’s Moon.
Who named the Harvest and Hunter’s Moon? These names in all probability sprang to the lips of farmers and hunters all through the Northern Hemisphere, on autumn evenings, at occasions of the full moon.
Is a Hunter’s Moon greater or brighter?
No. The Hunter’s Moon is simply an extraordinary full moon with a particular path throughout our sky. Nonetheless, many people do suppose the Hunter’s Moon appears greater … or brighter … and extra orange than ordinary. Why?
It’s as a result of the Hunter’s Moon has a strong mystique. Many individuals search for it shortly after sundown across the time of full moon. After sundown round any full moon, the moon will all the time be close to the horizon … as a result of full moons rise at sundown. It’s the placement of the moon close to the horizon that causes the Hunter’s Moon – or any full moon – to look massive and orange in coloration.
Orange moon close to the horizon. The orange coloration of a moon close to the horizon is a real bodily impact. It stems from the truth that, if you look towards the horizon, you’re wanting by means of a better thickness of Earth’s ambiance than if you gaze up and overhead. The ambiance scatters blue mild – that’s why the sky appears blue. The better thickness of ambiance within the route of a horizon scatters blue mild most successfully, however it lets purple mild cross by means of to your eyes. So a full moon close to the horizon – any full moon close to the horizon – takes on a yellow or orange or reddish hue.
Large moon close to the horizon. The larger-than-usual dimension of a moon seen close to the horizon is one thing else solely. It’s a trick that your eyes are enjoying – an phantasm – known as the Moon Illusion.
2023 full moon is in Aries
The October full moon sometimes lies in entrance of one in every of three constellations of the zodiac: Pisces the Fishes, Aries the Ram, or Cetus the Whale.
It’s normally in Pisces. That was the case in 2022, and would be the case once more in 2024.
But it surely often lands in Aries, because it does this yr.
Occasionally, the October full moon is within the massive neighboring constellation to the south, Cetus the Whale.
Hunter’s Moon images from our neighborhood
Backside line: The Hunter’s Moon – this yr’s October full moon – is on October 28, 2023. Additionally, search for vibrant Jupiter close to the full moon. Each are present in entrance of the constellation Aries.
