There’s a Hunter’s moon tomorrow night, but it will look like a bright full moon tonight and for several nights, starting early - - at sunset in parts of North America - - each of these nights. Will this be similar in South America? I don’t know. If so, Enjoy!
What is a Hunter’s moon?
According to Country Living magazine:
“The Hunter's Moon comes once a year and is always the next full moon after autumn's Harvest Moon. The name comes from the Algonquin Native American tribe, and reminds us that traditionally in many cultures this is the time to hunt and store up meat for the long winter.
“The Hunter's Moon shares a unique characteristic with the Harvest Moon: For several nights in a row, a full or nearly full moon rises around sunset in mid to high northern latitudes. This is significant because, other times of year, the moon can rise up to an hour later each passing day due to the angle of the moon's orbit in relation to Earth's orbit around the sun, says Astronomy.com.
“Traditionally, the early evening moonlight provided by the Hunter's Moon aided hunters during a crucial time for storing up food, just like the Harvest Moon provided extra light to farmers bringing in the harvest. Also around this time, says The Old Farmer's Almanac, animals were drawn to scraps leftover from the fall harvest, and the cleared fields made them easier for hunters and other predators to spot.
“You might also notice the Hunter's Moon looking particularly big and orange. Both characteristics result from viewing the moon when it's low in the sky. The moon illusion makes the moon appear larger when it's near the horizon. Plus, you're moon gazing through a thicker layer of Earth's atmosphere, versus a thin layer when the moon is high in the sky, and our atmospheric particles add color. Think about it: The days are shorter, so you're probably wrapping up your day and heading home around sunset—the same time the Hunter's Moon is rising above the horizon and sure to catch your eye.“. (Probably not so early here in the Southern Hemisphere.)
