When October's full moon will appear and how it got its name

What better way to celebrate October and all things Halloween than the next full moon?

Here’s what you need to know.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon, the hunter’s moon, will be visible on Oct. 17 at 7:26 a.m., according to TimeandDate.com.

Ahead of the full moon, the new moon will appear on Oct. 2 at 2:49 p.m., followed by the first quarter moon on Oct. 10 at 2:55 p.m. and the last quarter moon on Oct. 24 at 4:03 a.m., according to Almanac.

What is the hunter’s moon?

October’s full moon is known as the hunter’s moon and is named after the practice of hunting and preserving meats for the coming winter. Like September’s corn moon, if the hunter’s moon occurs closest to the fall equinox, it is called the harvest moon, TimeandDate.com reports.

This year September’s moon was the harvest moon.

Alternative names for the hunter’s moon are the “drying rice moon,” “sanguine moon,” “seed fall moon” and “blood moon” (which is not the same as the total lunar eclipse blood moon that is called such due to its reddish tinge).

October's hunter’s moon is also the third supermoon of the year, the third of four consecutive ones, according to NASA.

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November full moon

November’s full moon is a beaver moon and will be on Nov. 15. It gets its name from beavers who build their winter dams at this time of year, according to TimeandDate.com

Some sources say beavers, who are mainly nocturnal and work under the light of the full moon, become very active in building their winter dams during this time in preparation for the cold season, TimeandDate.com reports.

The November full moon also goes by the “frost moon,” “freezing moon” and “trading moon,” according to Native American culture, or is dubbed the “mourning moon” or “darkest depths moon,” according to Celtic tradition.

“Mourning moon” or “darkest depths moon” is the name typically given to the last full moon before the December solstice. Some years the last pre-solstice full moon occurs in November, while during other years, it is in December.

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com .

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: When October's full moon will appear and how it got its name