One of my Favorite Fall Things
One of my favorite things about September is the moon. It’s always big and bright and seems so close. Moonlight guides my early morning walks with Finnegan.
It’s called a harvest moon.
The name likely sprang from the lips of farmers who, in the days before tractor lights, used its light to gather their crops, despite the diminishing daylight hours. As the light faded in the west, the moon would soon rise in the east to illuminate the fields throughout the night.
It’s not truly bigger, brighter, or more pumpkin-colored than other full moons. It just appears to be.
Our moon normally rises on average 50 minutes later every day as the year moves on. A Harvest Moon rises only 30 minutes later. Those twenty minutes make a difference in how big the moon appears.
The Harvest moon isn’t associated with a specific month like other full moons. The moon that rises closest to the autumnal equinox, is called the Harvest Moon.
That was September 10 this year and the night sky put on a dazzling lunar display for skywatchers around the world. Did you see it? If not, check out this Twitter post from Nicholas Isabella.
This morning’s Harvest moon setting above the Statue Of Liberty. It was worth waking up early for this. pic.twitter.com/fI55XbIF5K
— Nicholas Isabella (@NycStormChaser) September 10, 2022
You can enjoy other fabulous Harvest Moon shots from around the world here.