This week's Hunter's Moon is about to get supersized

In the early hours of Thursday morning, Angelenos will get their first glimpse of a double astrological delight – a Hunter's Moon, which also happens to be a supermoon.

October's full moon is known as the Hunter's Moon because it occurs at the start of hunting season and traditionally provides an important opportunity to spot prey lurking in recently harvested fields, according to the Farmer's Almanac. A supermoon occurs when the full moon is at its closest point to Earth, making it appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than the dimmest moon of the year, according to NASA.

Vanessa Alarcon, the astrological observer at Griffith Observatory, said it can be challenging for the human eye to detect these differences in size and brightness, but that shouldn't stop people from trying.

“That's actually a really good reason for everyone to watch the moon every month: so you see every single full moon and watch how it changes,” she said. “I think the most exciting thing about these special moons is that they get people back out there and watching the sky and our closest neighbor in the solar system, which has kind of lost popularity because of all the light pollution around us.”

According to NASA, the Hunter Moon will officially become a full moon on Thursday at 4:26 a.m. PDT. It is the largest of four consecutive supermoons in 2024.

Alarcon recommends watching it around sunset on Friday, when it rises on the eastern horizon and appears particularly large.

And as people look at the night sky this week, they should also keep an eye out for two other sky sightings – Saturn and the appearance of an ancient Oort cloud comet, she added.

The comet, named C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, fell within sight of Earth on Saturday and could still be observed in the next few days, Alarcon said. It was discovered by astronomers in China and South Africa last year as it approached the inner solar system, and after that visit it won't be seen again for 80,000 years, according to NASA.

October is also a great time to observe Saturn because the planet reached opposition in September, meaning Earth is directly between Saturn and the sun, she said. Similar to a supermoon, this phenomenon causes Saturn to appear brighter and larger in the sky because it is at its closest point to Earth, according to Space.com.

Observers can see Saturn with the naked eye, but to see its rings they'll need a backyard telescope. And that should happen soon, because in 2025 the planet will rotate at such an angle that its distinctive rings will temporarily disappear from view.