Catch a glimpse of the Full Hunter’s Moon in the Sunday night sky

As spooky season swings into high gear, the Full Hunter’s Moon is slated to occur this weekend in the South Central Texas sky. The full moon officially crests on Sunday at 3:55 pm CDT, but won’t rise until later that evening in Central North America.

History - The Full Hunter’s Moon

A full moon occurs when the moon is positioned opposite the Sun in relation to our view on Earth. Each full moon that occurs in a given year typically consists of different characteristics, all depending on the path that they take across the sky.

The Hunter’s Moon takes place after the Harvest Moon, which is generally the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox and was found in September this year.

So how did the Hunter’s Moon get its name?

For decades, this bright, full moon would provide light for both farmers and hunters to finish their tasks.

After farmers finished harvesting their crops, they would take on hunting to gather the food that they needed for the winter months. The light from the Full Hunter’s Moon would allow them to stay out into the evening hours to finish up their hunting activities.

Moonrise/Moonset Times in San Antonio

While some mid and high clouds may be streaming across the sky from time to time, head outside to see if you can spot the bright, full moon that will rise in the east shortly after sunset! Here’s a look at our sunset, moonrise, and moonset times in San Antonio this weekend:

(Sunset, moonrise & moonset times via timeanddate.com)

Since the Hunter’s Moon takes place shortly after the Autumnal Equinox, we’ll often find it rise along the eastern horizon for several days in a row. When it is close to the horizon, it may look orange for a bit due to the fact that we are looking through a greater thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere. Cool stuff!

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Read more on the Whatever the Weather page:

• The forecast cone and why it’s often misunderstood
• Download KSAT’s weather app for customized, accurate forecasts in San Antonio, South Texas or wherever you are