Supermoon, comet and meteor shower all visible in Wichita soon. When do I look up?

Kansas stargazers can enjoy viewing several unique astronomical events this October, including the biggest supermoon of 2024, a comet and a meteor shower.

The hunter’s supermoon will peak at 6:26 a.m. Central Daylight Time on Thursday, Oct. 17, according to astronomy publication Space.com, and it will appear full the night before and after its peak.

In Wichita, the moon will rise at 6:23 p.m. Wednesday and set at 7:30 a.m. Thursday. That night, it will rise at 6:54 p.m., according to TimeAndDate.com .

A supermoon is defined as either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth, NASA reports, and supermoons are the “biggest and brightest” full moons of the year.

Because this will be the closest supermoon of the year , it will appear slightly larger than usual, according to Space.com.

The hunter’s moon gets its name from the abundance of deer , turkey and pheasants found this time of year, the Farmers’ Almanac reports, and it’s also known as the hunting moon, blood moon and other names. October’s moon is sometimes the harvest moon, which is the moon closest to the fall equinox, but this year’s harvest moon was in September .

Many moon names come from Indigenous cultures. The Farmers’ Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.

Thursday could end up being a perfect day for stargazing. Wichita’s National Weather Service forecast shows a night of clear skies with a low of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

There are two more full moons this year: the Beaver moon (a supermoon) on Nov. 15 and the Cold moon on Dec. 15.

Don’t miss a comet and meteor shower

In addition to the hunter’s moon, another big stargazing event is taking place next week.

Kansans will be able to see “what could be the brightest comet of the year,” according to NASA, starting Sunday, Oct. 13, when it will be closest to Earth.

The comet is known as C/2023 A3, or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. Oct. 13 through Thursday, Oct. 24 should be a good time to see the comet, and you might need binoculars or a small telescope, though Forbes reports it may also be visible to the naked eye .

In addition, the Orionid meteor shower will peak early the morning of Monday, Oct. 21, according to Forbes, and you could see up to 40 meteors an hour.

Kansas Astronomical Observers will hold an event to view the meteor shower Oct. 21 at Chaplin Nature Center in Arkansas City, about an hour drive from Wichita. The event is scheduled for 6 to 11 p.m.