The Hunter's Moon usually falls at the end of October, or on occasion at the start of November.
The lunar cycle lasts just over 29.5 days. Because this doesn't match up with our calendars exactly the date of the Hunter's Moon varies from month to month.
Here are the dates of each month's full moon for 2021:
28 January
27 February
28 March
27 April
26 May
24 June
24 July
22 August
21 September
20 October
19 November
19 December
This year, the Harvest Moon will fall on October 19 and 20, and is expected to be more than 99 percent lit during this time, with it expected to be fully lit at around 4pm UK time on October 20.
How did the different moons get their names, and what are they?
The history of naming moons is ancient and has been contributed to by a variety different groups. Historically, months were named using the moon associated with it. These pre-modern traditions were however brought to an end by the arrival of the Gregorian calendar.
Since then, the moon's monthly names have been pulled together from a variety of locations. Of these, Native American tribes are thought to have played a large part. Although there is no total consensus on any one specific tribe, it is believed a large portion came from the Algonquian.
According to the Algonquin Nation Tribal Council, the Strawberry and Harvest moons stem from the them.
The Hunter's Moon that we can hope to see this week is according to abc, named as such as it was when tribes would gather meat for the long winter ahead.
The American Farmer's Almanac is today regarded as the definitive authority on the modern naming of each month's full moon. In their list, first published in the 1930s, they define the following:
January: Wolf Moon
February: Snow Moon
March: Worm Moon
April: Pink Moon
May: Flower Moon
June: Strawberry Moon
July: Buck Moon
August: Sturgeon Moon
September: Harvest Moon
October: Hunter’s Moon
November: Beaver Moon
December: Cold Moon
Other kinds of moon
One of the most prominent in daily conversation is a 'Blue Moon'. Famed for its rarity it holds a common place in English language when things are said to be as uncommon as it is. On average it is thought they occur every two to three years, i reports.
Another is the Super Moon: the crossover point when a full moon occurs when the moon is at its closet point to earth, making it appear huge in the sky.
Blood moons happen during a lunar eclipse as the sun's reddish light travels through the earth's atmosphere on its way to the moon. This happens when the earth is between the moon and the sun.
Will you be looking out for the Hunter's Moon? Let us know in the comments.
