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When Is the Harvest Moon?This year, the brilliant Harvest Moon will appear in the evening of Thursday, October 1, reaching peak illumination at 5:05 P.M. EDT.One thing that sets the Harvest Moon apart from other is that it’s not associated with a specific month, as the others are. Instead, the Harvest Moon relates to the timing of the (September 22 or 23), with the full Moon that occurs nearest to the equinox being the one to take on the name “Harvest Moon.” This means that the Harvest Moon can occur in either September or October, depending on how the lunar cycle lines up with the Gregorian calendar.The Harvest Moon does typically occur in September, taking the place of the.
However, it occasionally lands in October instead, replacing the. Why Is it Called the Harvest Moon?For several evenings, the moonrise comes soon after sunset.
This results in an abundance of bright moonlight early in the evening, which was a traditional aide to farmers and crews harvesting their summer-grown crops. Hence, it’s called the “Harvest” Moon!What Makes the Harvest Moon Different from Other Full Moons?There are just a little over 12 complete Moon cycles every year, on average (there being about 29.53 days in a synodic month). The Harvest Moon isn’t like the other Moons. Usually, throughout the year, the Moon rises an average of about 50 minutes later each day. But near the autumnal equinox, the difference is only 30 minutes.Additionally, the Full Harvest Moon rises at sunset and then will rise very near sunset for several nights in a row because the difference is at a yearly minimum. It may almost seem as if there are full Moons multiple nights in a row! More Information About the Harvest MoonIf interested, here is more detailed information about the Harvest Moon. (Warning: Scientific explanation below!)The Moon’s orbital motion (combined with the larger orbit of the Earth around the Sun) carries it farther eastward among the constellations of the zodiac from night to night. At any one moonrise, the Moon occupies a particular place on the celestial sphere (the great dome of the heavens), but when the Earth turns toward that point 24 hours later, the Moon has moved off to the east about 12 degrees, and it takes an average of 50 minutes longer for the Earth to rotate toward the Moon and for the Moon thus to “rise.” Think of it as a giant Slinky in which each loop, representing one lunar orbit of the Earth, advances the orbit a bit farther along the spiral path.But around the date of the Harvest Moon, the Moon rises about the same time. Why? Remember that the zodiac is the band of constellations through which the Moon travels from night to night.
The section of the zodiac band in which the full Moon travels around the start of autumn is the section that forms the most shallow angle with the eastern horizon. Because the Moon’s orbit on successive nights is more nearly parallel to the horizon at that time, its relationship to the eastern horizon does not change appreciably, and the Earth does not have to turn as far to bring up the Moon.The Moon may rise as little as 23 minutes later on several nights before and after the full Harvest Moon (at about 42 degrees north latitude), which means extra light at peak harvest time near autumn. By the time the Moon has reached last quarter, however, the typical 50-minute delay has returned.At the start of spring, the opposite applies. The full Moon is in the section of the zodiac that has the steepest angle with respect to the eastern horizon. For several days bracketing the full Moon nearest the, the delay in moonrise is as much as 75 minutes (at 42 degrees north latitude).Here is another way of expressing what happens with the Harvest Moon: It is in this part of the zodiac that the Moon’s eastward (orbital) motion has its largest northward component. For observers in Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, the farther north an object is in the heavens, the longer an arc it makes across the sky, and the longer a time it is visible above the horizon. Thus, to say that the Moon is getting rapidly farther north each night around the time of the Harvest Moon is to say that, for northern latitudes on Earth, it will keep rising distinctly earlier than would otherwise be expected—nearly the same time as the night before.How nearly the same is “almost the same time” each night?
This varies with latitude, for the farther north you are, the shallower the angle of the zodiac is with respect to your horizon. In most of the United States and southern Canada, the Harvest Moon rises 25 to 30 minutes later each night. The effect is less noticeable the farther south you go. But going north makes the Harvest Moon more extreme.According to astronomy author Guy Ottewell, the idea of the Harvest Moon originated in Europe (average latitude about 50 degrees north), where the Harvest Moon rises only ten to 20 minutes later each night.
It must have seemed a boon that just when days were getting rapidly shorter and the Sun seemed to go down all too soon, the Harvest Moon arrived to extend the hours that harvesting could be done.Chinese Harvest Moon TraditionsAs a final note, I should add that it is not just Western civilization that has given special importance to the Harvest Moon. For Chinese people everywhere, this full Moon is the occasion for the Festival of the August Moon (the “August” is through a calendar discrepancy) or Mid-Autumn Festival (in some cultures, the equinoxes and solstices have been considered the middle of the seasons). This festival is celebrated with joyful games and the eating of “Mooncakes.”I remember vividly being invited to one such celebration and singing songs and playing my guitar to a circle of friendly faces in the light of the rising Harvest Moon.
Sep 25, 2017 In the video, a showman in a Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas, shows off the first Model 3 in the state. All the car's instrument readings.
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Learn MoreEver notice that the low-hanging Moon looks especially big near the horizon? It isn’t really significantly bigger. Learn more about this trick of the eye called the.Find out. The details of the Harvest Moon was brought to my attention late yesterday. Opening my back door I noticed the moon positioned in the northeast with a powerful illuminiation. As I returned to my computer and telephone conversation I mentioned how beautiful the moon was shining. At that premise moment, the person on the other end of the phone shared with me that it was the Harvest Moon.
I had never heard of the Harvest Moon, but I was instructed to make a wish and several wishes. Instead, I shall pray as ask God to release blessings, miracles, and healings categorically into my life.
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Afterall, it was God that created the moon; Genesis 1:14,16, Psalm 8:3, and Isaiah 30:26. Harvest Moon, harvesting cropsSubmitted by Scott McGregor on September 12, 2019 - 9:45am. Thank you for your enthusiasm for the SLOOH programs, Christine. We participated with the SLOOH folks for much of 2016, in the way that you describe—offering facts and lore about each month’s full Moon. In many shows, we had an editor, live-streaming from our offices, as well as our astronomer Bob Berman, live-streaming from his home or planetarium. The most recent show was in August, on the occasion of the Mini Strawberry Moon.The partnership is still in place, but Almanac appearances/participation are as the producers/programmers need. We join in whenever we are asked.
Thank YOU again for asking about it. Harvest MoonSubmitted by Gwen Tarves on October 4, 2017 - 9:09am.
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