Sun rises at 6:20am.
Sun sets at 5:49pm.
Moon phase: Full Moon
Moon rises at 5:49pm
Moon sets at 6:20am
The Super Hunter’s Moon
Last month, we had the full Harvest Moon and this weekend we can enjoy the full Hunter’s Moon. Not only that it’s a Super Moon, which means it’s a bit bigger than your typical full moon, but tradition dictates that the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox and the Hunter’s Moon is the full moon after the Harvest Moon.
The moon is super this weekend because of geometry. The moon’s orbit around Earth is almost perfectly circular, but not quite. Sometimes the moon is slightly closer to Earth than at other times. Such is the case of the Hunter’s Moon of 2016; it’s just a tad closer than normal, thus, it appears slightly oversized in our sky. This is most pronounced at moon rise and moon set when the field of view includes trees, hills, or other items in juxtaposition.
Next month the full moon and perigee (closest point) will come even closer together to stage the largest full moon of the year on November 14. That November 2016 full moon will be the closest Super Moon since 1948!
Stars & Planets
With the extra bright super moon shining down on us this weekend, it won’t be super awesome star-gazing, but you still can enjoy the brighter stars and brilliant planets. After sunset, look west to see Venus low on the horizon and Saturn just above and slightly to the left. Higher up and still farther to the left sits Mars.
Around midnight, the Eastern skies will be alight with wonderful sights, Orion rises, followed by Gemini and Canis Major or “the Big Dog” which boasts the brightest true star in our whole night sky! Sirius, known as the Dog Star, is a beacon of the midnight hours.
By the early morning hours, look to the north to see Cassiopeia sinking down on the left as the Big Dipper rises on the right. The whole sky spins around the North Star which is the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper. This is because that star just happens to lie directly above our planets axis, so as we spin around, the stationary sky seems to rotate above us – thanks to Copernicus for pointing that out!
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles. If you are out later on in the week, each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
