Full, Hunter's moon rising this weekend

Fall temperatures usher in with a bright, orange moon

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If a bright orange full moon isn't the best way to ring in the fall, we don't know what is. Wait, yes we do. Waking up in the 60s and staying out of the 90s is right up there with the best ways to ring in fall. But big, beautiful, bright orange moons are great too. 

Keep your eyes on the evening sky Sunday as the Hunter's Moon will rise overhead for a colorful show that's perfect for this time of year.

According to Newsweek, this weekend's full moon will "appear larger and more orange than a normal full moon due to the fact that it rises around sunset."

The October full moon will peak around 5:08 p.m. on Sunday, but it will not be visible on our horizon at that point. 

The moon appears largest, and most orange as it rises over the horizon because the light is passing through the most atmosphere at that angle. If you want to catch this, head out to our area beaches, moonrise on Saturday is at 6:45p.m. and on Sunday at 7:15 p.m. Sunday's moonrise will be more impressive since it occurs just after sunset. 

"When the moon is low in the sky, it is farther away from you than when it is directly overhead," wrote astronomer Bob Berman. "Because of this, the light that's being reflected off of a horizon-hugging moon has to travel a farther distance—and through more particles of air—to reach your eyes."

Full moons that come after the Harvest Moon are called the Hunter's Moon.