Weather permitting, one incredible celestial sight will dominate the sky on Wednesday night. The moon will rise at dusk with a reddish hue on the occasion of Kumar Purnima.
However, this Full Moon in October will also appear to be particularly tiny, just 14 per cent the size of the average Full Moon because the Earthâ
s natural satellite happens to be the most distant. The Moon will be approximately 248,548 miles (400,000km) from Earth.
The Moon orbits Earth in a slightly elliptical orbit, which means it has a point during its 27.3 day orbit when it is at its most distant. This can happen at any time during the Moonâs orbit; theyâre as likely to occur when the moon is at First quarter as when itâs full.
It is only when it a Full Moon coincides with when it is nearâknown as a Super Moonâthat anyone gets excited. When the furthest point coincides with a Full Moon, it is conversely known as a Micro Moon.
Hunterâs Moon
The Full Moon in October is also known as the Hunterâs Moon in the West. Itâs reddish in colour and is the first Full Moon after the Harvest Moon (the Full Moon nearest the Autumnal equinox). It gets its name from hunters who tracked and killed their prey by autumn moonlight, stockpiling food for the coming winter.