Hunter's supermoon, first full moon of fall, and comet will be visible Thursday

The hunter's moon – the first full moon of fall – will rise overnight Wednesday into Thursday in the eastern sky around sunset. As a bonus, this month's full moon will also be a supermoon.

Although it will reach peak illumination at 6:26 a.m. CDT Thursday, the moon will be below the horizon at that time, "so wait until sunset to watch it rise and take its place in the sky," the Old Farmer's Almanac says.

The harvest moon, which rose in September, is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. The hunter’s moon is the first full moon after the harvest moon.

The earliest use of the term “hunter’s moon,” cited in the Oxford English Dictionary , was in 1710.

Why is it called the Hunter's moon?

October’s full moon is called the hunter's moon because it's the time of year when, historically, hunters began collecting food and storing it for the long, cold winter months ahead, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac .

"Many moons ago, Native Americans named this bright moon for obvious reasons," the almanac said. "The leaves are falling from trees, the deer are fattened, and it’s time to begin storing up meat for the long winter ahead."

Meaning behind 'supermoon'

When the moon’s orbit brings it closer to Earth than usual, the cosmic combo is called a supermoon. When this happens, the moon can appear slightly bigger and brighter than normal.

"Different publications use slightly different thresholds for deciding when a full moon is close enough to the Earth to qualify as a supermoon," NASA says . "Because the orbit of the moon is not a perfect circle, the moon is sometimes closer to the Earth than at other times during its orbit."

On average, supermoons appear about 7% bigger and about 15% brighter than a typical full moon.

This is the third of four straight supermoons: After Oct. 17, the final supermoon of the year is Nov. 15.

Full moon schedule 2024

Here's the schedule of this year's full moons (times in Central Standard Time (CST) or Central Daylight Time (CDT) when appropriate:

How to see the October 2024 comet

Along with the hunter's supermoon, a rare astronomical event is making an appearance this month. A rare comet, visible only once every 80,000 years, will appear in the night sky through Oct. 26. This week offers the best views of Com et C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (pronounced Choo-cheen-shahn ).

Read more: Did you miss the rare comet last night? Here's how to see it again in Texas

The comet, also called C/2023 A3 and Comet A3, can be viewed by looking at the western horizon after sunset. Binoculars or smartphone cameras with night mode can enhance the view. The comet will be distinguishable from stars due to its recognizable tail and the size it appears in the sky. Although stars are much larger than comets, Comet A3 will seem larger in the sky due to its proximity to Earth.

Of course, the viewing experience also depends on whether the sky is clear or cloudy and whether buildings or other structures obstruct the view.

4 planets will be visible alongside the hunter's moon

Joined in the night sky by the hunter's moon will be four planets: Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, according to Space.com . They will all rise in the hours before or after the full moon rises, depending on your location.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Hunter's supermoon, first full moon of fall, and comet will be visible Thursday