Biggest supermoon of the year emerges tonight - what to know about the 'hunter's moon'

Tonight's full moon is the third supermoon in a row and the largest well see this year .

This supermoon will rise Wednesday night into Thursday morning and will be the brightest of all full moons in 2024, according to NASA. The moon will rise on Wednesday evening starting at 5:46 p.m. EDT and become full around 11:35 p.m., according to NOAA. The supermoon is forecasted to reach its closest point to Earth, and appear its largest, on Thursday at 11:26 p.m. EDT.

October's full moon is also known as the “hunter’s moon” because it marks the beginning of the hunting season, signaling to hunters to begin preparing for the colder winter months, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. It follows the "harvest moon", which signaled the best time for harvesters to reap their crops.

• 'I witnessed the 2024 solar eclipse — I teared up as the moon completely covered the sun'

• 'Insane' moment total solar eclipse turns sky dark over Niagara Falls as crowds left screaming

A supermoon is a full moon that occurs when the moon is at the closest point in its orbit around Earth known as perigree. When the moon is at perigree it can appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter that it normally does.

While full moons occur once in each lunar cycle which last 29.5 days, there are usually only about three or four supermoons annually. This is the third of four supermoons of 2024. The first was on Aug. 19, and Sept. 18. Following tonight there is a final supermoon set for Nov. 15, but the moon is not expected to be as close to the Earth as it will this week.

• Northern Lights may be visible from 17 states across US this weekend amid huge solar flares

• Stranded astronauts insist 'space is our happy place' after Starliner returns to Earth without them

The term "supermoon" was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 as either a new or full Moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of its closest to Earth, according to NASA. This supermoon will be nearly about 222,000 miles from Earth.

The supermoon will be visible across the Earth regardless of light pollution, according to NASA, but it’s better to be in areas without clouds if possible.