Autumn’s first full moon — known as the harvest moon — will appear bigger and brighter Monday night. It’s the first of three supermoons that will light up the sky in the coming months.

Usually occurring in September, the harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, the official beginning of fall. The harvest moon appears in October every three to four years.

In addition to tonight’s supermoon, cooler weather will provide ample opportunities for skywatching and stargazing this fall and winter.

While climate change has prolonged the warmer months, this time of year the weather gets cooler and less humid — ideal conditions for stargazing, said Christian Ready, associate teaching professor of astronomy at Towson University. Water in the atmosphere scatters starlight, so when conditions are dry, the starlight can come through without a lot of interference.

Here are some days to put in your calendar and go stare at the sky.

Oct. 6 — harvest moon and Draconids meteor shower

People tend to get pumped for supermoons, Ready said, even if it’s only about 14% larger than normal.

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A supermoon occurs when the moon is at its fullest stage and its closest to Earth, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The full moon will start rising around 6:20 p.m. If you catch the moon near the horizon, it may appear even bigger and brighter, in a phenomenon known as the moon illusion. The supermoon will reach 100% full around 11:47 p.m.

If you miss tonight’s supermoon, there will be other opportunities to admire our nearest celestial object. The other supermoons are on Nov. 5 and Dec. 4.

There will also be two significant meteor showers this month, according to DNR, and even a few comets.

The Draconids meteor shower is active Oct. 6-10. In most years, it produces only a handful of meteors per hour, but once in a while, it spews hundreds, according to Earth Sky. Unlike most meteor showers, Draconids are more likely to be visible in the early evening hours.

Get your binoculars and head outside on the night of Oct. 8 to try to catch the comet C/2025 K1 (Atlas). A few weeks later, the Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) could be visible to the naked eye on Oct. 20.

Oct. 21-22: Orionid meteor shower

The Orionid shower is active for several weeks, but it will likely peak on Oct. 21 and 22, Ready said. Meteors usually come from comets swinging by the sun, he added, leaving a dusty mess in their wake and forming huge tails. The particles of dust we see as the Orionid shower were once from Halley’s Comet, which last orbited the sun in 1986.

Ready, who is also the director of the university’s planetarium, said people should look forward to the Orionid meteor shower, which produces an average of 15 meteors every hour from the Orion constellation.

The best time to see these showers is after midnight until around 2 a.m., according to DNR. Make sure to look southeast.

Nov. 17-18: Leonid meteor shower

Ready also recommended the Leonid meteor shower, which is expected to peak around Nov. 17. The shower produces fast-moving meteors that appear to stream from the constellation Leo, according to NASA. Under ideal conditions, you could see 10 to 15 meteors per hour.

The best time to see these meteors is any time after midnight and before dawn.

Dec. 13-14: Geminid meteor shower

The predicted peak for the Geminid shower is Dec. 14, and it could be a true show with as many as 120 meteors per hour, according to Earth Sky — though the average is closer to 75, Ready said.

The best time to see these showers is after midnight and before dawn.

Where to watch the sky in the Baltimore area

Plan to drive away from the city and into a more secluded area to watch the night sky, the darker the better. Also, make sure to give yourself 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.

Check out maps online that show how dark the night sky will be to help you find a place to travel. Ready recommended Soldiers Delight in Owings Mills and Bear Branch Nature Center in Carroll County.