The Moon will be at it’s fullest at 9.55pm today. Referred to as the “Hunter’s Moon” it signaled the time to go hunting in preparation for the cold winter ahead. Animals are beginning to fatten up ahead of winter, and since the farmers had recently cleaned out their fields under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily see the deer and other animals that had come out to root through the remaining scraps (as well as the foxes and wolves that had come out to prey on them).
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the earliest use of the term “Hunter’s Moon,” cited in the Oxford English Dictionary, is from 1710.
Other names this lunation is known by:
- Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon
- Falling Leaves Moon
- Freezing Moon or Ice Moon
- Migrating Moon
The first full Moon to follow the Harvest Moon, means that it can occur in either October or November.
Also look out for the Orionid meteor shower which will peak on the night of 21-22 October between midnight and dawn. However, if you’re out looking, you should be able to see the shower for several days either side of this ‘peak’ date.
