On October 17, the moon will be much closer to Earth than normal. The Hunter’s Moon will peak in the afternoon and, weather-compliant, will make for an astronomical treat tonight.
Visible between October 16 and 18, the Hunter’s Moon will peak at 1.26pm on October 17. The Hunter’s Moon is set to be particularly special this year since the full, supermoon coincides with the moon reaching perigee - when it is closest to Earth.
On October 17 the moon will be just 357.174 kilometres from us. Since the moon is normally as much as 406.000 kilometres away, the full, Hunter’s Moon will appear extra large and impressive when the sun sets on Thursday and it appears against the night sky.
First described by astronomers in 1710, the supermoon gets its name from the idea that, as the leaves begin to fall in autumn it is easier for hunters to catch and kill certain animals.
Others, such as the Algonquin tribe in the northwest United States, call the phenomenon the Dying Grass or Blood Moon, a reference to either the changing colour of the leaves in autumn or the beginning of hunting season.
Much of Germany is forecast to see partially cloudy weather tonight, so views of the Hunter’s Moon may be obscured, but the supermoon is expected to be 7 percent brighter than the regular moon. Look just above the horizon to get the best view for a magical, weekday glimpse into your insignificance.
The supermoon’s arrival coincides with the C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet crossing the skies over Germany.
A once-in-a-century event, the comet is visible between October 10 and 20. The Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and its long tail will remain visible to the naked eye until October 20, but since the best conditions for viewing the comet passed between October 12 and 15, stargazers have the best chances of catching the comet if they use a telescope.
MeteoNews advises taking a pair of binoculars on a venture to places with an unobstructed horizon to the west, away from cities and artificial light pollution (fields, forests, mountains, etc).
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