If you noticed that the moon seemed a little brighter than normal on Thursday evening, you weren’t imagining it.

It was a full moon, but it was also what’s called a “supermoon,” the third of four supermoons in 2024.

It was dubbed the “hunter supermoon” based on the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere (more on that later).

Thursday night was also the brightest supermoon of the year, and while it was only fractionally brighter, that title gave sky watchers an extra incentive to look up.

Here a crowd of people have gathered on Sydney’s Bondi Beach to watch the moon rise over the horizon.

How the world conquered the supermoon

A supermoon is a phenomenon in which the moon appears slightly larger and brighter than normal.

This happens because the moon orbits the Earth in an oval shape, meaning there are times when it is closer to our planet.

But generally it is only called a supermoon if it corresponds to a full moon phase.

With the right camera lens, a lot of planning and a little patience, the phenomenon can produce beautiful photos.

Here are some photos of Thursday night’s supermoon from around the world:

Why was it called the Hunter Supermoon?

That’s not an official name, it was just one of the most common nicknames.

In an article for NASA’s monthly Skywatching guide, former space agency director Gordan Johnston explains how some cultures name full moons based on the seasons.

He writes about these names from the perspective of the Northern Hemisphere – which experiences the opposite seasons as we do in the Southern Hemisphere:

“According to the Farmer’s Almanac, now that the leaves are falling and the deer are fattened, it’s time to hunt,” he writes.

“Since the harvesters harvested the fields, hunters can easily see the animals that have come out to gather

The Maine Farmer’s Almanac first published Native American names for the full moons in the 1930s. Over time, these names have become widely known and used.

According to this almanac, the Algonquin tribes of what is now the northeastern United States called the October Full Moon the Travel Moon, the Dying Grass Moon, or the Sanguine or Blood Moon.

“Some sources indicate that the names Dying Grass, Sanguine and Blood Moon are associated with the coloring of leaves and death of plants with the onset of autumn.

“Others indicate that the names Sanguine and Blood Moon are associated with hunting in preparation for winter.”

When is the next supermoon?

Friday November 15.