Post by Joanna on Oct 3, 2017 17:16:48 GMT -5
October's Harvest Moon
October’s full moon, normally the Hunter’s Moon, is unusual this year because it is also the Harvest Moon, which normally occurs in September. For several evenings, the moon nearest the equinox rises soon after sunset providing an abundance of bright moonlight in the early evening, which was an aide to farmers harvesting their summer-grown crops. Hence, the “Harvest Moon.” This year, the autumnal equinox occurred September 22 and September’s full moon was September 6, thus October’s moon is nearest the equinox.
Another reason the Harvest Moon is so different from other full moons is that throughout the year, the moon generally rises an average of about 50 minutes later each day, but close to the autumnal equinox, there’s only a 30-minute difference. The full Harvest Moon rises at sunset, then will rise very near sunset for several nights in a row, making it appear as though there are full moons multiple nights.
This month’s moon will reach its full phase at 2:40 p.m. (EDT). Moonrise on Thursday, October 5, is as follows:
Eastport, Maine - 6:22 p.m.
St. Augustine, Florida - 7:24 p.m.
Des Moines, Iowa - 7:11 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas - 7:47 p.m.
Helena, Montana - 7:25 p.m.
Anaheim, California - 6:53 p.m.
Sources: Shelby Lin Erdman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 3, 2017, and The Old Farmer's Almanac.
