Hunter's Moon, this year's largest supermoon, dazzles night skies in Massachusetts and around the world

On Wednesday evening, Michael Wallitis stood in the parking lot of a shopping center in Orange, Massachusetts, scanning the western horizon for the ancient comet. At that moment, his man pointed out something equally remarkable in the opposite direction – the brilliant glow of the supermoon.

“It was great,” Wallitis said. “So bright and so big! It rose above the trees in a matter of seconds and I am grateful that I was able to not only experience this moment but also preserve the memory of it.”

From the rare Northern Lights lighting up the Northeast in early October to the once-in-a-lifetime comet that closed out the month, stargazers had another astronomical phenomenon to keep an eye out for this week.

The supermoon known as the “Hunter's Moon” completes this month's celestial trifecta.

A supermoon seen from Orange, MA on October 17th.Michael Wallitis

According to NASA, the Hunter's Moon is the third of four consecutive supermoons this year. It follows the Harvest Moon in September and the Sturgeon Moon, which was also a blue moon, in August.

Arriving at perigee (the moon's closest point in its orbit to Earth), the supermoon came just 222,055 miles miles from our planet and was the largest and brightest moon of the year, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.

The moon shines in the evening sky over Lietzen, Germany, Wednesday, October 16, 2024. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP)Patrick Pleul/Associated Press

According to NASA, the supermoon reached its peak at 7:26 a.m. Thursday morning and was closest in its orbit to Earth at 8:57 p.m. Wednesday evening. For those who didn't have a chance to see it at its peak brightness or size, the moon will still appear full through Friday morning.

How “super” is a supermoon? According to NASA, a supermoon can appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a normal full moon. Supermoons also only happen three to four times a year and always occur in a row.

The moon sets behind downtown buildings in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

This month's supermoon was called the “Hunter's Moon” because it was once considered a signal for the start of hunting in preparation for winter, according to the Farmer's Almanac. Other names for the supermoon include Travel, Dying Grass, Sanguine or Blood Moon, NASA said.

The fourth and final supermoon of the year, called the Beaver Moon, will appear on November 15 at 4:29 p.m., according to the Farmer's Almanac.

Sabrina Lam can be reached at [email protected].

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