At Saturday’s sunset, the Full Hunter’s moon will rise in the east, accompanied by bright Jupiter to its lower left.

As described by NASA: “The next full moon will be on Saturday afternoon, October 28, 2023, at 4:24 PM EDT. This will be on Sunday morning from Gulf Standard Time in the Middle East eastward across Asia and Australia to the International Date Line.

“The bright planet Jupiter will appear to the lower left of the moon. A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The moon will appear full for about 3 days centered on this time, from Friday morning to Monday morning, making this a full moon weekend.

History of the Hunters Moon

“As the full moon after the Harvest Moon, this will be the Hunter’s Moon. The earliest written use of the term ‘Hunter’s Moon’ cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1710. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, with the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt.

Since the harvesters have reaped the fields, hunters can easily see the animals that have come out to glean (and the foxes that have come out to prey upon them).”

As the night goes on, the moon and Jupiter will draw closer to about two degrees separation. Jupiter will be closest to the Earth for 2023 on Nov. 1 and comes to opposition — directly opposite the Sun — a day later. It will remain in our night skies for the next few months.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

The Full Hunter's Moon of October will see the Earth's shadow pass across its face this weekend, creating a partial lunar eclipse.

The lunar eclipse will be fully visible from Africa, Europe, Asia and parts of Western Australia. The eastern tip of South America will get a small glimpse of the eclipse at moonrise, but don't expect an incredible view from there.

The partial lunar eclipse of the Full Hunter's Moon will begin at 2:01 p.m. EDT (1801 GMT) on Oct. 28. The most striking parts of the eclipse should occur around 3:35 p.m. EDT (1935 GMT) as the moon enters the darker part of Earth's shadow, known as the umbra, peaking around 4:14 p.m. EDT (2014 GMT). The eclipse will end around 6:26 p.m. EDT (2226 GMT) as the moon fully emerges from the lighter part of Earth's shadow, known as the penumbra.

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Partial lunar eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and the moon are aligned, but not perfectly. This means that only a portion of the darkest part of Earth's shadow will cover the moon.

Lunar eclipses only occur during full moons, when our moon and the sun are on opposite sides of Earth, allowing our planet's shadow to fall across the face of our natural satellite. 

Our weather should be favorable, so find yourself a good viewing spot of the eastern horizon to watch the celestial pair rise. The Full Hunter’s moon may exhibit a beautiful golden-yellow hue and will look large as it rises due to the “moon illusion.”