Striking view looking south Sunday, October 9, 2022. The full Hunter’s moon is close to the meridian at midnight with Jupiter and Saturn to the west and Mars and Aldebaran to the east.
The Hunter’s Moon
The full moon following the “Harvest Moon” is known as the Hunter’s Moon. This year, that occurs on Sunday, October 9 at 8:54 PM (UTC), 4:54 PM (EDT).
As the name suggests before the invention of the electric light, the light of the full moon gave aid to the farmers and hunters of old, extending the time during which they could either harvest their crops or hunt in preparation for the coming winter.
We’ve written extensively about the lore behind the moon’s names, most of which honor native traditions, coincide with seasonal events or refer to activities related to survival (important for hunter-gatherer or agrarian communities who depended on a plentiful harvest or hunt to survive). For example, last month’s full moon (September) was the Harvest moon since September’s full moon coincides with the Autumn harvest and is chronologically nearest the Autumnal Equinox.
Additional information on the lore of the moon and its names can be found here and here. It also should be noted that each full Moon name is applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full Moon.
For moon fans, the month begins and ends with a New Moon. The Full Moon occurs precisely between each new moon on the 16th day. For additional details, a full lunar calendar and the lore behind each month’s Full Moon, please visit the Farmers Almanac. Additional information regarding calendars and phases of the moon can be found here.
2009 Strawberry moon, June 6 2009 with Antares to the east. Image, credit the author, 7.5 cm astrograph.
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