The Tiny Hunter’s Moon

In this month of October the full moon just so happens to be the furthest during 2019 at just over 400,000 km and so it will appear quite small for a full moon. A full moon always rises at dusk and sets at sunset.

The full moon in October even though it might be small will appear bright orange in the night sky and often appears quite spooky because it is the month of Halloween when the nights get darker and colder.

The Hunter’s Moon is the name given to the full moon after the Harvest Moon which is normally in September.

The Farmer’s Almanac say that the October full moon got its name because in October the leaves are falling, the deer are fattened and so it is time to go hunting. Also hunters can easily see the animals in the fields because the fields have been reaped.

It is believed that the name of Hunter’s Moon was first seen in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1710. Other names for the October full moon are travel moon and the dying grass moon.

In the UK the Hunter’s Moon will be at its peak on Sunday 13 October but you can possibly see it in the sky for a couple of days either side of the peak, that is if the sky stays cloud-free.

Traditional Full Moon Names:

January 21 – Wolf Moon
February 19 – Snow Moon
March 21 – Worm Moon
April 19 – Pink Moon
May 18 – Flower Moon
June 17 – Strawberry Moon
July 16 – Buck Moon
August 15 – Sturgeon Moon
September 14 – Full Corn Moon
October 13 – Hunter’s Moon
November 12– Beaver’s Moon
December 12 – Cold Moon

Blue Moon - Some years have an extra full moon which happens approximately every two or three years.

The names given to the full moons during the year are derived from the North American traditions.

Many of these ancient moon names have been given based on the behaviour of the plants, animals, or weather during that month.

The next full moon will rise on 12 November 2019 and is the Beaver's Moon.