Keep an eye out.
While stargazing conditions aren’t ideal in the autumn and winter months in the northern hemisphere due to the position of the moon, there’s plenty there for those who love moongazing (that’s definitely a word, OK?).
October’s Full Moon is called the Hunter’s Moon, or sometimes, the Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon. The latter two names are references to the hunting season, and the Blood Moon name is not to be confused with the term Blood Moon to describe a Total Lunar Eclipse.
The Hunter’s Moon is the first Full Moon after the Harvest Moon (the Full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox) and it gets its name from hunters who tracked and killed their prey, stockpiling food for the winter ahead.
In the autumn months, there’s no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for several days in a row, around the time of full moon, meaning there’s prolonged periods of light which is the reason why these moons have traditionally been used by hunters and farmers to finish their work.
When the deers and other animals had fattened themselves over the summer, hunters tracked and killed prey by the bright autumn moonlight.
The Hunter’s Moon is not usually any bigger or brighter than any of the other full moons. The only notable difference between it and other full moons is that the time between sunset and moonrise is shorter, usually as little as 30 minutes.
This month’s Full Moon will be on Wednesday, 24 October.
For your own curiosity, below are the traditional Full Moon names for each month.
- January: Wolf Moon
- February: Snow Moon
- March: Worm Moon
- April: Pink Moon
- May: Flower Moon
- June: Strawberry Moon
- July: Buck Moon
- August: Sturgeon Moon
- September: Harvest Moon
- October: Hunter’s Moon
- November: Beaver Moon
- December: Cold Moon
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