At Saturday’s sunset, the Full Hunter’s moon will rise in the east, accompanied by bright Jupiter to its lower left.
As described by NASA: “The next full moon will be on Saturday afternoon, October 28, 2023, at 4:24 PM EDT. This will be on Sunday morning from Gulf Standard Time in the Middle East eastward across Asia and Australia to the International Date Line.
“The bright planet Jupiter will appear to the lower left of the moon. A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The moon will appear full for about 3 days centered on this time, from Friday morning to Monday morning, making this a full moon weekend.
“As the full moon after the Harvest Moon, this will be the Hunter’s Moon. The earliest written use of the term ‘Hunter’s Moon’ cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1710. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, with the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt.
Since the harvesters have reaped the fields, hunters can easily see the animals that have come out to glean (and the foxes that have come out to prey upon them).”
The Full Hunter’s moon will also undergo a slight partial lunar eclipse visible in Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The eclipse will be streamed live.
In the D.C. area, the moon will be undergoing a penumbral lunar eclipse phase, but it is highly unlikely we will be able to detect the very subtle shading since it will still be dusk. If you want to look, using binoculars or a small telescope might help.
As the night goes on, the moon and Jupiter will draw closer to about two degrees separation. Jupiter will be closest to the Earth for 2023 on Nov. 1 and comes to opposition — directly opposite the Sun — a day later. It will remain in our night skies for the next few months.
Our weather should be favorable, so find yourself a good viewing spot of the eastern horizon to watch the celestial pair rise. The Full Hunter’s moon may exhibit a beautiful golden-yellow hue and will look large as it rises due to the “moon illusion.”
Did you know that Halloween is an astronomical holiday?
As an extra Halloween treat, be sure to enjoy this marvelous collection of ghoulish posters and scary space sounds courtesy of NASA.
For you early risers, brilliant Venus is in the east and the constellations of winter are visible in the south and overhead.
Follow Greg Redfern at @skyguyinva on X (formerly Twitter) and visit his daily blog at www.whatsupthespaceplace.com to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. You can email him at skyguyinva@gmail.com.
