‘Biggest and brightest’ supermoon to shine over California soon—along with comet, meteors

Less than a week after the northern lights dazzled observers across California, stargazers are in for another treat.

The harvest supermoon will shine in the sky above the Golden State on Thursday, Oct. 17.

It will be “the biggest and brightest supermoon” to shine in 2024, the Old Farmer’s Almanac said, “so that should be quite a sight!”

A supermoon appears about 30% brighter and nearly 15% bigger than a full moon at its farthest point from Earth, according to the Adler Planetarium.

Other celestial events to watch out for in October include a comet and a meteor shower.

What’s a hunter’s moon?

The hunter’s moon is the name for the full moon in October, according to Time and Date, an online world clock.

“Traditionally, people in the Northern Hemisphere spent October preparing for the coming winter by hunting, slaughtering and preserving meats, giving this full moon its Anglo-Saxon name,” the website said.

Native Americans also named October’s full moon after activities that happen in the fall, calling it the drying rice moon, falling leaves moon and freezing moon. It’s sometimes known as the blood moon or sanguine moon.

What’s a supermoon?

The term “supermoon” refers to when a full moon is orbiting close to Earth.

“During these times, the moon can appear a bit larger in the sky, although the difference can be difficult to notice with the naked eye for most observers,” Space.com said.

When can I see the harvest supermoon in California?

The harvest supermoon will be officially full at 4:26 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, Oct. 17, according to Time and Date.

Your best bet to catch a glimpse of the full moon is to “watch it rising in the east at moonrise,” according to LiveScience.com.

“It will be in the constellation Pisces, and it will appear bright and full the day before and after as well,” the website said.

What makes this moon special?

One of four supermoons in 2024, October’s full moon will orbit closer to Earth than any of the other full moons this year, the Old Farmer’s Almanac said.

At its nearest point, the moon will be about 222,056 miles from Earth, according to AstroPixels. That’s 357,364 kilometers.

According to the Adler Planetarium, a supermoon typically appears about 30% brighter and nearly 15% bigger than a full moon at its farthest point from Earth.

Watch out for comet, meteor shower

The supermoon isn’t the only celestial event to look out for in October.

Californians can see “what could be the brightest comet of the year,” known as C/2023 A3, or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, according to NASA.

While the comet was closest to Earth on Sunday, Oct. 13, it will be visible through Thursday, Oct. 24.

Meanwhile, the Orionid meteor shower will peak early on the morning of Monday, Oct. 21, according to Forbes.

You could spot up to 40 meteors an hour, Forbes said, all originating from “a cloud of dust debris left in the inner solar system by Halley’s Comet.”

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