Ed and Bettina Berg in Las Vegas, Nevada, contributed this image of the 2016 Harvest MoonAccuweather reports today that it’s rare to see a full moon rise on Friday the 13th, like the harvest moon set to rise tonight.
“The full moon closest to the fall equinox is known as the harvest moon. The last full moon on Friday the 13th was in October 2000,” the report said.
“The harvest moon gets its name because it was around this time of year that farmers began to harvest their crops. Before there were tractor lights, farmers used the light of the full moon to help them see at night.
“Around this time of year, the moon normally begins to rise in the twilight hours. If you catch the moon as it rises from the horizon, it will appear larger than normal due to an optical illusion. It might even appear as an orange color because of the atmosphere being at its thickest from a horizon perspective.”
The report continues: “Most of the Americas will get the harvest moon on Friday the 13th, but other parts of the world will see it on Sept. 14.
“In the Northern Hemisphere, we call the full moon closest to the autumn equinox the Harvest Moon.
“Depending on your time zone, 2019’s autumn equinox for the Northern Hemisphere comes on September 22 or 23. And the September full moon comes on the night of Friday, September 13, for the most of North America, and on September 14 for much of the rest of the world.
“Thus, for the Northern Hemisphere, this upcoming full moon – the full moon closest to our autumn equinox – is our Harvest Moon.
“For the Southern Hemisphere, the Harvest Moon always comes in March or early April.”
- Feature Photo:Jarred Donkersley caught this photo of 2016’s Harvest Moon at the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, California
