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From to , this calendrical oddity happens a dozen times and in fact happened just last year.

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The Harvest Moon can occur as early as Sept. Our solar day is 24 hours long.


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In the sky, the moon appears to move eastward against the background stars faster than the sun does. So, the "lunar day" — the interval of time that is measured for the moon to make one passage across the celestial meridian to the next — averages 24 hours and 50 minutes.

What Is a Harvest Moon?

In addition to the meridian crossing, the rising of the moon is delayed an average of 50 minutes from day to day. Variations from that minute average can sometimes be quite noticeable, particularly around the time the moon near its full phase is rising.


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  6. Many incorrectly suppose that the Harvest Moon remains in the night sky longer than any of the other full moons we see during the year, but that is a fallacy; the full moon remains in the sky longest around the time of the December solstice. But close to the autumnal equinox, in the days surrounding the moon's full phase, the natural satellite rises from night to night with the least delay, as observed from our northern latitudes.

    It rises about the time the sun sets.

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    But at this time of year, instead of rising close to its normal average of 50 minutes later each day, the moon gives the impression that it's rising at roughly the same time each night. The reason for the recurrent seasonal factor the moonrise this time of year is that the moon appears to move along the ecliptic in our sky.

    And at this particular time of year, the ecliptic makes its smallest angle with respect to the eastern horizon, so the rising moon appears as if it is moving along a ramp for several days, while it's centered on full phase. Amazing Full Moon Views ].

    Moonrises with the least delay

    As an example, from latitude 40 degrees north, if we examine the three-night span around full phase Sept. If you head farther south, the night-to-night difference increases. For Brownsville, Texas, located at latitude Conversely, as you head north, the difference becomes noticeably smaller. For London latitude In contrast, for those living in the Southern Hemisphere, the ecliptic at this time of year appears to stand almost perpendicular to the eastern horizon.

    So, the average minute-per-night difference for the time of moonrise is exceeded. For Auckland, New Zealand latitude Interestingly, for those who live near the Arctic Circle latitude So, both planets will "frame" Saturn. The planet will set at Sagittarius will be a bit brighter than Libra or Capricornus, and Saturn can be spotted by looking for the steadier light in Sagittarius' "teapot" shape; generally, stars twinkle, but planets do not.

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    The full moon tends to overwhelm the fainter stars. But in the late-September sky, there are still constellations that can be seen despite the brightness of both the moon and city lights. For example, as the moon gets higher, the brighter winter constellations , such as Taurus and Orion, will appear in the eastern sky; by midnight, those two will have risen in the east and cleared most buildings.

    The September full moon is often called the Harvest Moon , according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, because that was when the corn harvests traditionally started. Sometimes, such as in , the September moon is further away from the autumn equinox than the October full moon is, and in those situations, it is called the Corn Moon. This year, though, the September full moon is closer to the equinox. Besides being a marker for North American harvests, the full moon of September marks the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth, also called the Feast of Tabernacles. Observant Jews will construct a sukkah, a small structure with a roof of natural material, in order to spend time inside and commemorate the time in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt described in the Torah.

    The Cree of Ontario called the September full moon the Rutting Moon because it was when many animals started mating notably, deer. The day of the full moon in the eighth month is called Mid-Autumn Day and is an important festival in China, according to travelchinaguide.

    In the Southern Hemisphere, September marks the beginning of springtime, with the days getting warmer and longer. You can follow Space. This sky map shows the locations of these four planets as seen from New York City at 7: See the moon phases, and the difference between a waxing and waning crescent or gibbous moon, in this Space. See the full infographic.