2024, October 16-17:  The Night of the Perigean Hunter’s (Super)Moon

October 16-17, 2024:  This month’s bright moon is popularly known as the Hunter’s Moon.  It is in the sky all night leading up to the opposition point before sunrise.

Full Moon
Full Moon

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:03 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:10 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Hunter’s Moon

Hunter's Moon
Chart Caption – 2024, October 16: After sunset, the bright Hunter’s Moon is in the east to the lower left of Saturn.

This month’s all night or Full moon is popularly known as the Hunter’s Moon.  Cultures across the globe have many names for the monthly bright moons that may describe seasonal effects or facilitate overnight activities.

The bright moon illuminates terrestrial features, making outdoor activities easy.  Sky & Telescope magazine reports that the Ojibwa tribe from the Great Lakes region names this month’s Full moon the “Falling Leaves Moon.”

Around sunset the bright moon is above the eastern horizon.  It is nearly 35° to the lower left of Saturn, that is over 20° above the southeast horizon.

Early in the evening, brilliant Venus is low in the southwest.  It is easy to see when looking toward an unobstructed horizon.

Comet?

(Sept. 22, 2024) --- Comet C2023-A3, or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was pictured about 99.4 million miles away from Earth by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick using long-duration photography on a camera programmed for high sensitivity aboard the International Space Station
Photo Caption – (Sept. 22, 2024) — Comet C2023-A3, or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was pictured about 99.4 million miles away from Earth by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick using long-duration photography on a camera programmed for high sensitivity aboard the International Space Station

(Find Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the western sky after sunset above a line from Venus to the star Arcturus.  Minimally, use a binocular to locate it.)

Perigean Moon aka Supermoon

a full moon in the night sky
A Full moon. Photo by Johr

At 7:51 p.m. Central Time, the moon is at perigee, the closest point to Earth.  This approaching Full moon is the closest to Earth, appearing slightly larger and brighter than the average bright moon, a so-called supermoon.

Unless a sky watcher carefully tracks each Full moon with a light meter and a camera to compare photographs, this moon does not appear much larger or brighter than others.  Tides in the oceans are unusually high because of the proximity and alignment of the sun and moon.

Around midnight it is over halfway up in the south.  At this time, bright Jupiter is about 30° up in the east and Mars is above the east-southeast horizon.

During morning twilight, the lunar orb is about 10° up in the west.  The moon is opposite the sun and officially Full at 6:26 a.m. Central Time.

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