Biggest supermoon of the year, comet and meteor shower visible over southern Illinois soon
Illinois stargazers can enjoy viewing several unique astronomical events this October, including the biggest supermoon of 2024, a comet and a meteor shower.
The hunter’s supermoon will peak at 6:26 a.m. Central Daylight Time Thursday, Oct. 17, according to astronomy publication space.com, and will appear full the night before and after its peak.
A supermoon is defined as either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to earth, NASA reports, and supermoons are the “biggest and brightest” full moons of the year.
Because this will be the closest supermoon of the year, it will appear slightly larger than usual, according to space.com.
The hunter’s moon gets its name from the abundance of deer, turkey and pheasants found this time of year, the Farmers’ Almanac reports, and it’s also known as the hunting moon, blood moon and other names. October’s moon is sometimes the harvest moon, or the moon closest to the fall equinox, but this year’s harvest moon was in September.
Many moon names come from Indigenous cultures. The Farmers’ Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.
The week of Oct. 17 will likely bring mostly clear and sunny skies to Belleville, the National Weather Service St. Louis office forecasts. Temperatures are expected to range from 41 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit, with areas of frost in the forecast Wednesday. Thursday should be sunny with a high around 73 degrees, according to the NWS.
Don’t miss a comet and meteor shower
In addition to the hunter’s moon, metro-east stargazers can also see “what could be the brightest comet of the year,” according to NASA.
The comet is known as C/2023 A3, or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, and NASA reports it will be closest to earth Sunday, Oct. 13. That date through Thursday, Oct. 24 should be a good time to see the comet, and you might need binoculars or a small telescope, though Forbes reports it may also be visible to the naked eye.
The Orionid meteor shower will peak early in the morning Monday, Oct. 21, according to Forbes, and you could see up to 40 meteors an hour.
More full moons in 2024
Here’s when to see the rest of 2024’s full moons, with information from space.com:
Nov. 15: Beaver moon (supermoon)
Dec. 15: Cold moon
The St. Louis Astronomical Society will host a stargazing event from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 at Gateway Arch National Park.
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