October's Full Hunter Supermoon Will Look Bigger and Brighter Than Usual—Here's How to See It Soon

With fall officially in full swing, there's a lot to look forward to, including pumpkin patches, apple picking, and decorating for the season. However, for stargazers, the most anticipated fall activity is seeing the full Hunter Moon, which peaks on Thursday, October 17.

This year, the Hunter Moon is especially notable because it's also a supermoon, a term for when a full moon occurs near the moon's closest point to Earth in its monthly elliptical orbit, causing it to look bigger and brighter than normal.

The Hunter Moon is always the namesake given to the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon (which peaked on September 18 this year), the closest full moon to the fall equinox. If the Harvest Moon falls in October, the Hunter Moon will fall in November, which happens every three to four years.

The Hunter Moon gets its moniker because it is historically the time of year when many cultures hunt and store meat for the long winter ahead. Per The Old Farmer's Almanac., other namesakes given to the Hunter Moon include Sanguine, Blood Moon, Drying Rice Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Freezing Moon, and Migrating Moon.

The Hunter Moon will reach peak illumination at 7:26 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, October 17, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. As the supermoon passes rises, it may appear bigger than normal and look orange in color. This is a beautiful phenomenon known as moon illusion that occurs when the moon passes over the horizon.