Irish stargazers will have one last chance to catch a glimpse of the rare Hunter’s Moon tonight before it disappears for another six years or so.
October's first full moon was first visible on Sunday, October 9, when the moon appeared large and orange-hued on the horizon at around sunset.
People are usually able to see the nearly full moon for several nights before and after the Hunter's Moon - which got its name from the fact that years ago it signaled the beginning of hunting season in preparation for the winter.
The Hunter's Moon reached maximum illumination at around 20:54 Irish time on Sunday, when it appeared larger and more orange, taking on a fitting appearance for the fall season and for the build-up to Halloween.
The orange color is seen because as we look at the full moon close to the horizon, the light that it reflects towards us is passing through more of the Earth's atmosphere than when it is overhead.
According to space.com: “Molecules in Earth's atmosphere are really good at scattering photons of blue light which have shorter wavelengths than red light.
“This means that blue photons bounce around the sky before hitting our eye — and that's why the sky is blue. Longer wavelength red photons slip right through these molecules and straight to our eye for the most part.
“When red photons reflected by the moon have to pass through the thickest part of the atmosphere at the horizon, the chance of them being bounced around is increased.
“That's why the moon appears redder when we look at it close to the horizon.”
Tonight will mark the final night of the Hunter’s moon with the next full moon coming on November 8, known as the Beaver Moon.
After this, the final full moon of 2022 is December's aptly called the Cold Moon which happens on December 7.
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