Look up! Hunter's moon to glow alongside Saturn this weekend
With the exceptionally rare clear stretch of weather we’ve had, it’s been very easy to get drawn in by the night sky. Even the not-quite-full moon (waxing gibbous) seemed to have some extra brightness to it.
The celestial sights of October continue with the full Hunter’s moon. The moon will be full late Sunday night into Monday morning, just past midnight. The full moon in October can either be called the Harvest or Hunter's moon.
The Harvest moon is the one closest to the equinox. We saw that moon in September. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the Hunter's moon follows the Harvest moon because it added extra light for hunters preparing food ahead of winter.
With the exceptionally rare clear stretch of weather we’ve had, it’s been very easy to get drawn in by the night sky. Even the not-quite-full moon (waxing gibbous) seemed to have some extra brightness to it.
Maybe you’ve also noticed the planet Saturn hanging out in the night sky this month. Since Saturn was at opposition just a couple of weeks ago, it’s still visible all night as it traces a path across the sky. The moon will join Saturn in the eastern evening sky and climb higher. They will travel together throughout the night. The moon will appear to dance around Saturn for a couple of nights, then separate through Monday, when it’s completely full.
Without a telescope, Saturn looks like a bright star. With a telescope, features such as its rings become visible.
