Minnesota has had an exceptional year for sky watching, featuring five stunning aurora displays, sightings of a comet that appears once every 80,000 years, and the upcoming brightest supermoon of the year on Thursday night. Supermoons are more luminous than usual because they are located closer to the Earth.
The full Hunter’s supermoon will be approximately 14 percent nearer to Earth and can be up to 30 percent brighter than an average full moon. In the Twin Cities, the moon is expected to rise in the east around 6:23 p.m. and set in the west at about 9:10 a.m., with clear skies promising a bright view throughout the night across Minnesota.
According to NASA, the next full moon will occur on Thursday morning, October 17, 2024, at 7:26 a.m. EDT, appearing full for about three days from Tuesday evening to Friday morning. This marks the third of four consecutive supermoons this year, with this one being the brightest by a slight margin.
This full moon, occurring after the Harvest Moon, is known as the Hunter’s Moon. The earliest recorded use of the term “Hunter’s Moon” dates back to 1710. The Farmer’s Almanac notes that with the leaves falling and deer becoming well-fed, it’s the time for hunting. After the harvest, hunters can easily spot animals that emerge to feed on leftover crops, along with predators like foxes.
In the 1930s, the Maine Farmer’s Almanac published Native American names for full moons, leading to wider recognition of these terms. According to folklore, the Algonquin tribes referred to October’s full moon as the Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, or Sanguine/Blood Moon. These names are thought to relate either to the seasonal changes in nature or the hunting preparations for winter. The name “Travel Moon” may reflect the observations of animal migrations or the seasonal movements of northern tribes seeking shelter from harsh winters.
Get ready to enjoy this stunning celestial event!