The moon was spectacular last night, but Oct. 24, when it rises just after 6:30 p.m., it will be full!
October’s full moon was traditionally known as the “full hunter’s Moon” since it marked a great time to go hunting to gather food before the winter set in. But it has a few other names too. You might know it as the “full blood moon” or even the “drying grass moon.”
Here’s a little full moon refresher:
The moon is a sphere that travels once around Earth every 27.3 days. It also takes about 27 days for the moon to rotate on its axis. So, the moon always shows us the same face. As the moon revolves around Earth, it’s illuminated from varying angles by the sun; what you see when you look at the moon is reflected sunlight. On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, which means sometimes it rises during daylight and other times during nighttime hours.
By the way, the full moon may appear round, but is actually shaped like an egg with the pointed end facing earth.
The moon is 10 times brighter when it is full than when it’s in a quarter phase. Bundle up and head outside; if it’s clear out, you can’t miss it!
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Cindy Day is the chief meteorologist for SaltWire Network.
