This Wednesday (Oct. 20), the full moon will shine a pale light on October's creepy-carved Halloween pumpkins, and autumn-hued foliage.
NASA reports that the moon will reach its fullness at 10:57 AM EDT (or 2:57 PM GMT) Wednesday. This is when Earth, sun and moon align in this order. The moon orbit is approximately 5 degrees higher than Earth's. This allows for the sun to shine on the Earth-facing side of the moon when it's full. Andrea Jones, a NASA science communicator, said this in a video interview.
From Monday night (Oct.18) to Thursday night (Oct.21), October's Hunter's Moon (October 21) will be full for three nights. Skygazers also have another treat: the Orionid meteor Shower, which peaks Wednesday night, although it may be difficult to see the "shooting stars" due to the light of the full moon, Space.com, a sister site of Live Science, reported.
Related: Skywatchers awes by 'Ring of fire,' solar eclipse (photos).
The October full moon, also known as the Hunter's Moon or the Hunter's Moon according to the Oxford English Dictionary, was first used in 1710. According to NASA's Farmer's Almanac report, hunters can find deer and other fattened animals at this time of the year.
NASA reported that common names for October's moon were the Travel Moon (Dying Grass Moon), Sanguine (or Blood Moon) and Dying Moon (all of which were reported by the Maine Farmer's Almanac in 1930s). These names may refer to autumn leaves changing color and plants dying back, while the Sanguine or Blood Moon refers to hunting.
The Travel Moon could refer to birds migrating and animals getting ready for winter. Gordon Johnston, a NASA program executive wrote that the name could also refer to the time when northern tribes move down from the mountains in winter. "For example, the Iroquois as well as the Algonquin would hunt in Adirondacks during the summer but would move on to avoid harsh mountain winters.
In India, the October full moon coincides perfectly with the monsoon rains. This full moon is the Harvest Festival Sharad Purnima for Hindus. The full moon signals the end to a three-month period of meditation for Buddhist monks called Vassa (or "rainy retreat"), also known as the Buddhist Lent.
Scientists have recently given the full moon Lucy Moon a new name. This is in honor NASA's Lucy mission, which launched Oct. 16 and is currently traveling to the Trojan asteroids. These asteroids orbit the sun together with Jupiter, the largest planet of the solar system. NASA reported that Lucy will spend twelve years studying seven of these asteroids and one asteroid in the main asteroid belt.
Space.com reported that Orionid meteor shower skywatchers may be able to see up to 20 meteors an hour in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Live Science previously reported that this is more than the five meteors per hour skygazers see on other nights. Meteors are also known as shooting stars and are made up of bits of space rocks that explode in bright streaks across the Earth's atmosphere. Although the best views of the meteor shower are far from the city lights, it will still be possible to see them in the bright light of the full moon.
Space.com's Bill Cooke, NASA meteor expert, stated that "the Orionids will, frankly, suck this year... the moon would be up all night from sunset to dawn," Space.com reported.
Orionid meteors are made from fragments of Comet 1P/Halley. Also known as Halley's Comet. It passes by Earth approximately every 75 years. According to Cooke, the meteor shower is believed to have originated from Orion, the hunter constellation. Cooke explained to Space.com that the best time to view the meteor shower is at 2 a.m. on Oct. 20. However, if you miss the peak, the meteor shower will continue to wane until late October.
Original publication on Live Science
