Tonight is a full moon, and someone said it was a Full Harvest Moon tonight. Does that just mean tonight is a full moon, or is there something special about this particular one?
2006-09-07 13:59:19 · 6 answers · asked by Robin 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
******WARNING: LONG ANSWER******
Tonight and tomorrow you can see the Harvest Moon.
The Harvest Moon is no ordinary full moon; it behaves in a special way. Throughout the year the Moon rises, on average, about 50 minutes later each day. But near the autumnal equinox, which comes this year on Sept. 22nd, the day-to-day difference in the local time of moonrise is only 30 minutes. The Moon will rise around sunset tonight--and not long after sunset for the next few evenings.
That comes in handy for northern farmers who are working long days to harvest their crops before autumn. The extra dose of lighting afforded by the full Moon closest to the equinox is what gives the Harvest Moon its name. In the southern hemisphere, this week's full Moon behaves in exactly the opposite way: there will be an extra long time between moonrises from one evening to the next.
Try looking at the Moon tonight when it's rising in the east. You might notice something funny: the low-hanging Moon looks very big. This is a trick of the eye known as the "Moon Illusion."
2006-09-07 14:10:30 · answer #1 · answered by Still a Sexy Momma 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
• Full Harvest Moon - September This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.
2006-09-07 14:06:04 · answer #2 · answered by o Robin o 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The harvest moon is the one closest to the Autmnal Equinox. That would be the next one. Each full moon has a name.
2006-09-07 14:05:50 · answer #3 · answered by doggiebike 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is the month of the harvest moon, (for this year, it changes with the equinox) it rises shortly after sunset and was to help farmers work late for early harvest!
2006-09-07 14:07:04 · answer #4 · answered by True Blue 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think its when the moon is red, the moon in central ny was red tonight for a while
2006-09-07 14:09:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
full moon is full and harvest moon is harvested..lol
2006-09-07 14:15:26 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋