Along the lunar orbital path, the point of closest proximity is known as perigee, which is when the moon is, on average, 226,000 miles (363,300 kilometers) from Earth. When a full moon phase coincides with perigee, a supermoon event occurs.

The full moon in October is also known as the “hunter’s moon” because it marks the beginning of the hunting season, signaling to hunters to begin preparing for colder conditions, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The “hunter’s moon” follows the “harvest moon,” a moon phase that signals the best time for harvesters to reap their crops.

The name Hunter's Moon is derived from Native American, European and colonial sources. Look for it tonight -- and you can see a comet, too.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which first began publishing the names of the full moons in the 1930s, states that the full moon was named the “Hunter’s Moon” because it marked the beginning of hunting season, signaling hunters to prepare for the approaching cold.

Today’s Hunter’s Moon is the third of four supermoons this year. What makes this supermoon special is that it will be the brightest and closest of 2024. During this lunar event, the moon will appear a

The Full Hunter's Moon of October 2024 will join Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the night sky on Thursday (Oct. 17), and you can enjoy both with a free livestream courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project.

The full Hunter's supermoon will be the brightest full moon this year and visible in our skies over the next couple of nights.