Brightest Supermoon Of the Year to Shine Above New York State

The skies have put on quite a show over the past week, and scientists say it isn't over just yet. The next celestial event will happen by this week, according to NASA. 

Recent severe solar storms brought brilliant Northern Lights to skies as far as New York and beyond Thursday night into Friday morning. Also, the newly discovered Comet C/2023 A3 , or simply Comet 23, could be seen on the western horizon right around sunset. Some have referred to the object as the 80,000 year comet.

Now, scientists say the third out of four Supermoons will arrive this week. FOX says this will be the brightest Supermoon of 2024, but only by a very small margin.

Brightest Supermoon Of the Year to Shine Above New York State

Supermoons occur when the Earth aligns with the Moon and Sun as the perigee (closer) side of the Moon is facing us, and the Moon happens to be on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. Some would say, it's just a full moon but slightly bigger and brighter from our perspective.

See Also: Shards of Halley's Comet to Streak Above the Skies of New York State

NASA reports that the next full Moon (or Hunter's Moon) will be Thursday morning, October 17, 2024, at 7:26 AM Eastern time. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Tuesday evening through Friday morning, NASA continues.

FOX News says that the the Moon reaches its closest distance to Earth on the night of October 16 and becomes a full Moon on the morning of the 17th.

The next Supermoon after this week will be November 18.

See Also: Meteor Explosion Causes Shaking and Loud Boom Over Parts of New York

Shards and Debris From Halley's Comet to Streak Above the Skies of New York State 

Gothamist is reporting that Orionids meteor shower began at the end of September and will continue until November. 22. However, the event will peak October 21, according to astronomers.

The Orionids are the leftovers and remains from Halley’s Comet (1P/Halley), which orbits the Sun every 76 years, The Orionids occur when the Earth moves through the path of dust and debris that were expelled from the comet’s nucleus, says Earth Sky. 

Make sure to look closely, as the meteors move very fast, though they also leave a long-lasting tail once they've completely burnt up in the Earth's atmosphere. NASA calls the Orionids "one of the most beautiful showers of the year".