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The Northern Hemisphere will be able to see the Harvest Moon rise on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Wikimedia commons/Roadcrusher
A harvest moon
The full moon that occurs closer to the autumnal equinox which was on Sept. 22 this year, is dubbed as the Harvest Moon. The term was used around the 18th century to mark the start of harvest season.
The Harvest Moon will be full at 2:40 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 5. It will appear full for a day or two.
The autumnal equinox full moon signified the time to harvest and store ripened crops for the winter. With its shorter rising lag, the full moon would give farmers extra time to work in the fields during this busy time of harvest. The Harvest Moon is known for its orange hue when it rises near the horizon but when it reaches its full height, the color will revert to the usual ghostly pallor. It is not necessarily bigger or brighter than the usual full moon.
Early Native American tradition marked their calendars with various cycles of the moon, with each having a seasonal significance and name. The rare Oct. moon is sometimes called the Full Hunter’s Moon, the Travel Moon, and the Dying Moon.
It usually falls in the month of September. The October appearance is so rare that in a period of 80 years from 1970 until 2050, the Harvest Moon will only rise in the said month 18 times.
Prior to 2017, the last time the Harvest Moon rose in October was in 2009, and the next time will be in 2020. On average, they come every three years but as much as eight years can elapse between them as well.
Harvest Moons can rise as early as Sept. 8 and as late as Oct. 7. Next year, it will occur again on Sept. 24, two days after the autumnal equinox shows itself in 2018.
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