LOOK UP: Here's When You Can See The Glowing Orange Hunter's Moon Tonight!
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Ready for another show in the sky tonight?
It's been moon madness lately and Sunday night will be more of the same as a big, bright orange Hunter's Moon lights up our area.
The Hunter's Moon is the first full moon to rise after each year's Harvest Moon.
If you remember, this year's Harvest Moon was extra special as it fell on Friday the 13th -- the only time that will happen until 2049!
Since a Harvest Moon marks the last full moon before the start of fall (the autumnal equinox), tonight's Hunter's Moon is the first of the new season.
Hunter's Moon rising: this weekend will bring the next full Moon. See details at https://t.co/C9hshrb5ml pic.twitter.com/nai9cmpill
— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) October 8, 2019
Here's what makes this event so special -- this full moon sticks around for more than one night.
"The Moon will appear full for about three days centered on this time, from Saturday morning to Tuesday morning," according to NASA.
The best time for people in the Tri-state area to catch a glimpse of the Hunter's Moon at its peak will be at 5:07 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday evening.
Keep your eyes close to the horizon though; the Hunter's Moon won't start to rise until twilight.
If any of your friends ask why it looks so orange, stun them with this fact:
The Hunter's Moon appears in the sky opposite to the sun and, since it will be along the horizon at the same time the sun is setting, it should reflect the sun's bright colors -- lighting the moon up like a giant pumpkin just days before Halloween!
So why is it called a Hunter's Moon anyway?
"Some folks believe that this full Moon was called the Full Hunter's Moon because it signaled the time to go hunting in preparation for winter. Since the harvesters had recently reaped the fields under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily see the fattened deer and other animals that had come out to glean," according to the Farmer's Almanac.