If you had to pick only one full moon to watch the 2024 moonrise, it would be October’s “Hunter’s Moon.”

The tenth full moon of 2024 – and the first of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, the ‘Hunter’s Moon’ – is also known as the ‘Falling Leaves Moon’ and the ‘Blood Moon’.

Here’s everything you need to know about it, including when, where and how to see it at its best from where you are:

When is the ‘Hunter’s Moon?’

The “Hunter’s Moon” will fill up on Thursday, October 17 at 11:26 UTC/7:26 EDT. From North America, the best time to see it is later that day at sunrise during twilight.

Best time to see the full ‘Hunter’s Moon’

A full moon looks best when it appears on the eastern horizon just after the sun sets in the west. It will look more prominent than normal and be a nice, muted orange. The best time to view it is a few minutes after sunrise wherever you are, but where exactly depends on your location.

Thursday October 17

• In New York, sunset is at 6:13 PM EDT and moonrise is at 6:14 PM EDT.
• In Los Angeles, sunset is at 6:17 PM PDT and moonrise is at 6:26 PM PDT.
• In London, moonrise is at 5:52 PM BST and sunset is at 6:04 PM BST.

Friday October 18

• In London, sunset is at 6:01 PM BST and moonrise is at 6:10 PM BST.

How to see the full ‘Hunter’s Moon’

Go to a place high on the east, or visit a coast that faces east; both give you a clear view of the horizon – and the best view of the rising ‘Hunter’s Moon’, clear skies permitting. The naked eye is perfect, but binoculars give you a stunning close-up.

Why the ‘Hunter’s Moon’ is the best ‘Supermoon’ of 2024

The “Hunter’s Moon” will be the closest and largest of the four “supermoon” full moons in 2024. It will be at a distance of 357,363 kilometers from Earth.

A supermoon, also known as a perigee full moon – is slightly larger and brighter than the average full moon. The moon’s orbit around Earth is a small ellipse, so there is a near point (perigee) and a distant point (highlight) every month.

Astronomer Fred Espenak defines a supermoon as a full moon at perigee that occurs “within 90% of its closest approach to Earth in any given orbit.” A supermoon can appear about 10% larger in apparent size. A supermoon generally appears brighter, which is easy to notice if you observe the moon regularly.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next full moon after the “Hunter Moon” will be the full “Beaver Moon” at 21:28 UTC/4:28 pm EST on Friday, November 15 – the second full moon of the fall and the eleventh of 12 full moons in 2024 .

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