October's full moon will be biggest supermoon of 2024. What to know about Hunter's Moon

It will soon be possible to catch a glimpse of another full moon - a supermoon , in fact.

The October full moon - which is also known as the "Hunter's Moon" by early Native Americans - will be appearing next week. The October supermoon is the the third in a string of four happening in 2024. The November 15 supermoon will be the final one.

"This year, (the October full moon is) also the biggest and brightest supermoon —so that should be quite a sight," according to the Farmer's Almanac.

When can you see the Hunter's Moon? Here's what to know.

When is the October 2024 full moon?

The next full moon, a supermoon , will occur on Oct. 17. The Farmer's Almanac stated it will reach peak illumination at 7:26 a.m. that day.

"It will be below the horizon, so wait until sunset to watch it rise and take its place in the sky," the Farmer's Almanac states.

What is a 'supermoon?'

Supermoons occur when full moons coincide with the moon is closest to the earth in its orbit. The moment is what's called perigee.

When this happens, the moon looks 30% brighter and 14% larger than a typical full moon, according to the Farmer's Almanac.

There is one little catch.

"Different publications use slightly different thresholds for deciding when a full moon is close enough to the earth to qualify as a supermoon ," NASA stated on its website . "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."

"Next year, 2025, will bring us (three) supermoons in a row , with full supermoons on Oct. 7, 2025; Nov. 5, 2025; and Dec. 4, 2025," the Farmer's Almanac added.

Why is the October full moon called the 'Hunter's Moon?'

The Farmer's Almanac explains that the name most likely originates from the fact that the October full moon was a signal for hunters to prepare for winter by going hunting to stock up on food.

"Some sources suggest that other names for the Hunter’s Moon are the Sanguine or Blood Moon, either associated with the blood from hunting or the color of the changing autumn leaves," according to the Farmer's Almanac.

The Farmer's Almanac states that there are other Native American names for the October full moon, which include:

• "The Drying Rice Moon , a Dakota name, describes part of the post-harvest process of preparing rice for winter.
• " The Falling Leaves Moon is an Anishinaabe term highlighting the transition between summer and fall.
• " The Freezing Moon (Ojibwe) and Ice Moon (Haida) refer to the increasingly cold temperatures of this period.
• " The Migrating Moon (Cree) refers to when birds begin to fly south to warmer climates."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: October's full moon will be biggest supermoon of 2024. What to know about Hunter's Moon