Tonight’s Full Moon is the Harvest Moon, the Corn Moon, the Barley Moon and a Micromoon. Stargazers living in Pacific, Central and US Mountain time zones are in a position to see it before midnight on Friday the 13th. A Full Moon on Friday the 13th is an incredibly rare occurrence that only happens once every 20 years on average. The next Full Moon on this spooky date will happen in 30 years on August 13, 2049.
Tonight’s Full Moon is also a Micromoon, meaning it is at its farthest orbit from Earth.
According to space agency NASA, Micromoons can appear up to 14 percent smaller than on average.
The Full Moon will peak everywhere in the nightshade of Earth at the same time but keep in mind the time differences.
In the UK, NASA said the Harvest Moon will peak around 5.33am BST on Saturday, September 14.
In California, US, on the other hand, the Moon will peak in brightness tonight at 9.33pm PST.
What is a Full Harvest Moon?
September’s Full Moon has many different names tied to the annual autumn harvest but also has ties to a very specific astronomical phenomenon.
The Harvest Moon is the closest Full Moon to the Autumn Equinox – the astronomical start of Autumn.
For several evenings, the moonrise comes after sunset
Fred Schaaf, Old Farmer’s Almanac
This year the Autumn Equinox takes place nine days after the Full Moon, on September 23.
The equinox aways falls on a date between September 21 and September 23.
But the Harvest Moon itself can appear on any date in September or October, due to the Moon’s irregular orbit of Earth.
What is the meaning behind the Harvest Moon?
The Harvest Moon rises around the same time as the Sun sets and lights up the night skies well into the morning hours.
Traditionally, this would give farmers more time during the autumn harvest to gather their crops.
Fred Schaaf of the Old Farmer’s Almanac said: “For several evenings, the moonrise comes 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.”
But tonight’s Full Moon is also significant to other cultures around the globe.
Buddhists in parts of Thailand and Bangladesh, for instance, mark the Honey Full Moon Festival or Modhu Purnima.
In Sri Lanka, the Full Moon marks the Binara Pura Pasalosvaka Poya Day.
The Full Moon also falls in the middle of the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
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