Prepare your bow and arrow—the Full Hunter’s Moon is about to rise

It’s time to don your camouflage duds because the Full Hunter’s Moon will soon be visible through the brush. Okay, okay, we’re kidding about the camo—but the Full Hunter’s Moon will rise on October 24th, and you don’t have to be a hunter to appreciate the beauty of the Hunter’s Moon.

Like its fellow full moons, the Hunter’s Moon gets its name from some Native American tribes. According to Almanac.com, tribespeople hunted game during the month of October in preparation for the winter ahead, hence its moniker.

Today, October’s full moon is most commonly called the Full Hunter’s Moon, but other tribes gave it different names depending on the region in which they were located. For example, some called it the “Travel Moon” and others called it the “Dying Grass Moon.” These names were adopted by the colonists who settled the Native Americans’ land, which is why we still have those moon names today.

The Northern Hemisphere’s Hunter’s Moon is always the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon—the one that falls closest to the autumnal equinox. The Harvest Moon usually occurs in September, but every three years, it hops into October.

Ancient Europeans similarly celebrated the harvest, hunt, and slaughter of game during a celebration they called Samhain, which fell on October 31st. Samhain also signifies the death of the past the year and welcomes celebration of the year to come.

It’s not often that the Full Hunter’s Moon falls on Samhain—the holiday that we now call Halloween. In fact, there were only four Halloween full moons during the entire 20th century. But when the two collide, it’s said that the moon is incredibly powerful and can drum up some eerie magic during the already spooky season.

Suspicious types can breathe easy. The Full Hunter’s Moon misses Halloween by a full week this year, which definitely lessens our chances of being tracked down by a werewolf, right? Right?