The next full moon is coming tonight, and it's a big one.
This month's Hunter's moon is a supermoon, appearing visibly larger and brighter in the sky. Here's what Hoosiers should know about this and other astronomical events happening in October.
The Hunter's Moon, a name derived from Native American, European and colonial sources, should reach peak illumination by Thursday, Oct. 17, according to NASA. The moon's phases this month are:
No, the moon won't be full on Halloween night in 2024. In fact, you'll hardly be able to see it at all. Our lunar satellite will shine only at 1% illumination, according to NASA. That's dark, so if you've got little trick-or-treaters, be sure and bring a flashlight. You might also want to add something reflective to their costume as a safety precaution.
The next full moon on Halloween won't happen until 2039, according to EarthSky. Why such a long wait? Full moons on Halloween are rare, writes the Old Farmer's Almanac. They occur once every 18-19 years. The last time the United States saw a full moon on All Hallows' Eve was in 2020.
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, moonrise for the Indianapolis area will happen by roughly 7:04 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, crossing the meridian at 1:14 a.m. before setting at 8:06 a.m. Friday.
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October's full moon is called the "Hunter's Moon," but its name can change from year to year.
A Hunter's Moon, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, is the first full moon that occurs after a Harvest Moon, which lands around the autumnal equinox. The last time we had a Hunter's Moon in November was in 2017. Other names for October's full moon from Native American tribes include the Drying Rice Moon, Freezing Moon, and Migrating Moon.
The "super" in supermoon often has more to do with its proximity to Earth and less, some say, than how it looks in size.
Supermoons can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year. Visually, that might not leave much of an impression, but the proximity of a supermoon has an affect on Earth, causing higher tides than normal.
Pretty darn close, at least by lunar standards. The moon's orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle, writes NASA. It varies in distance, from about 221,457 miles to 252,712 miles away. That's because of the constant tug of gravity between the moon, Earth and sun.
On Thursday, the moon will be 222,095 miles away from our planet, according to NASA, making it a supermoon.
The next supermoon happens in November. It's also the last one of 2024. According to NASA, November's full moon will shine at a distance of 224,385 miles from Earth. By December, the moon will be fainter and further away by another roughly 6,000 miles.
During a partial lunar eclipse, the moon passes through only part of the Earth's shadow, or umbra, entering into an imperfect alignment with the sun and Earth. As it does, the moon will appear to darken.
So why does it look red? According to NASA, that's because of how sunlight strikes the moon's surface after passing through our atmosphere.
Colors with shorter wavelengths, such as blues and violets, scatter more easily than colors with longer wavelengths, which include red and orange. The more dust or clouds in Earth's atmosphere during a lunar eclipse, the redder the moon appears.
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If you plan on observing the night sky this month, writes NASA, keep the following dates in mind for October 2024:
The Beaver Moon should reach peak illumination by Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.