The Significance of the Harvest Moon

Photo Credit sinead_woods via Flickr Commons

Tonight, we will be enjoying a big and glorious Harvest Moon. In fact, this Harvest Moon is also a Super Moon so it will be an extra special treat! All of us know the Harvest Moon is special and we delight in its beauty, but what is its significance? We found some pretty interesting facts about the Harvest Moon:

• Before the aid of electricity, Harvest Moons would illuminate the night sky allowing farmers to work on their fields later into the evening.
• In years when the Harvest Moon lands in October, the full moon in September is termed the Full Corn Moon because it corresponds with the time to harvest corn.
• According to folklore, EVERY full moon has a particular name like the Strawberry Moon, the Flower Moon, the Sturgeon Moon, etc.
• The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs  nearest to the Autumnal Equinox.
• For several nights in a row around the Harvest Moon, the moon rises at around the same time each night--at about sunset. Of course, this can make for a beautiful, reddened moon!

Hope you get a chance to check out the Harvest Moon tonight! It is expected to be at full phase at 9:38 EST or 8:38 CDT.

Sources:
             What to Expect from Tonight's Harvest Moon via ABCNews
             Shine on, Harvest Moon in The Old Farmer's Almanac
             Watch Out for the Harvest Moon from NASA

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