The next full moon, the harvest moon, will shine on Thursday night, Oct. 1, reaching peak light at 5:05 p.m.
Unlike other moon names, the harvest moon is not associated with a specific month. It usually occurs in September, but may occur in October as much as this year.
This is the lunar eclipse closest to the fall equinox on September 22 this year.
It is called the harvest moon because on many evenings the moon rises soon after sunset, blowing bright moonlight across the land in the early morning, which has traditionally helped farmers to harvest.
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The harvest moon is the first of two full moons in October, the second Halloween, Oct., 31, a blue moon.
“A blue moon is a rare phenomenon that involves the appearance of additional moons within a certain period of time.” Space.com. “But what period? There are two definitions of this word, and one was born out of a misunderstanding of the other.
“The old object defines a blue moon in a season with four full moons as the third full moon. It is called the seasonal blue moon, which occurs every 2.5 years.
“Most recently, the term blue moon was used for the second full moon in a calendar month. There are about 29.5 days between full moons, which makes it unusual for two full moons to fit into a 30- or 31-day long month. That means there will never be a blue moon in February.”
This word has nothing to do with the true color of the moon. According to NASA, “Most blue moons are found in light gray and white, indistinguishable from any other moon you have ever seen. Pressing the second moon into a calendar month does not change the physical properties of the moon, so the color remains the same. ”
Contact Marcus Schneck at [email protected].
