On Oct. 17, the largest supermoon of the year will become visible in the night sky. Dubbed the Hunter’s Moon, the moon will reach its closest point to Earth at 9 p.m. EST on Oct. 16. The name Hunter’s Moon was coined because the normal time this supermoon occurs is around the time hunters began collecting and storing food for the winter.
A supermoon is defined as when a full moon occurs simultaneously as a perigee, which is the point when the moon is the closest to Earth. A perigee occurs every 27 days, but it is rare for it to happen during a full moon as well. Therefore, a supermoon is not an actual astronomical term, since it only happens around three to four times every year. In basic terms, the moon will appear to be larger and brighter in the sky than it usually does.
Along with the supermoon, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars will be visible in the sky, which are usually hard to see without a telescope. These planets will show in the hours before and after the full moon has risen.
