Blood or Hunter’s Moon that features “moon illusion” and the Southern Taurid meteor shower both arrive this weekend

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While the sweet treats don’t come until later this month, skywatchers and stargazers alike will enjoy an early treat in the form of a special show this weekend with the arrival of the Hunter’s Moon. In fact, in the spirit of Halloween, it will likely be large and orange, just like a pumpkin – though weather conditions may also give it a yellowish or even reddish hue.

The first full moon after a Harvest Moon (which was last month) is called a Hunter’s Moon, called so because for hunters it is the best time of year for capturing game since they are fattened up in preparation for coming winter. For this reason it is also sometimes called a Sanguine or Blood Moon, however, this moon is not to be confused with the total lunar eclipse also called a Blood Moon.

The best time to catch the moon whichever name you prefer will be on Sunday just after sunset at about 6:08 pm.

Typically seen as a “ringing” in of fall, this special moon is characterized by an illusion formed by its low position in the sky that makes it brighter and appear much larger than it actually is.

That won’t be the only show going on this weekend since we are also in the middle of the Southern Taurid meteor showers which will last from Friday night through Sunday night. The Southern Taurids are famous for producing very bright fireballs that will stand out since they are much brighter than a typical “shooting star.”

While we are currently experiencing cloudy, rainy weather and Saturday may not be good for catching the Southern Taurids, the current forecast calls for intermittent clouds Sunday evening so we should be able to experience both shows.

Regardless, on the morning of Oct. 22, you will be able to catch the Orionid meteor shower – debris from Halley’s Comet – which will produce 10-20 meteors per hour.

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