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This week, for the first time in three years, the September full moon is in a unique situation: it is happening so early in the month, a time that gives it a completely different name, the corn moon, instead of the moon. harvest, which sets the stage for October to have two full moons, meaning that a rare blue moon will shine this Hallowe’en, October 31st.
This full moon, named for the East Coast corn crop, will reach its peak at 1:22 am EDT (5:22 UTC) on Wednesday, September 2. according to NASA.
Generally, the full moon in September is known as the harvest moon, since it is usually the closest full moon to the first day of autumn, known as the autumn equinox. But this year, the autumnal equinox falls on September 22, making the full moon on October 1 the harvest moon, according to Lehigh Valley Live, a news outlet in Easton, Pennsylvania.
Related: In photos: dazzling images of a supermoon
As with every full moon, the September moon will appear full for three consecutive days, from tonight (August 31) to Thursday morning (September 3).
Full moons occur when the sun, Earth, and moon form a line, allowing the side of the moon facing Earth to be fully illuminated by the sun. according to Space.com, a sister site to Live Science.
On the night before the true full moon, you can see the September full moon rising at 8:12 pm EDT this Tuesday (September 1). The heavenly spectacle is easily seen with the naked eye (preferably away from bright artificial lights), but binoculars can help you gaze at the terrain of the moon so that “the soft-looking patterns of gray and white turn into craters and large ridges” according to NASA. Meanwhile, a telescope can help you detect the mountains and valleys of the moon and “the cracks in the moon’s surface called rilles, [which] it was formed when lava that once filled a basin cooled and contracted, “according to NASA.
Sky watchers can also get brilliant views of Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter was at its closest and brightest for 2020 on July 14, while Saturn was at its closest and brightest on July 20, according to NASA. This is known as “opposition,” since these planets were placed on the opposite side of the Earth where the sun was shining. Although these planets have outgrown their closest and brightest approaches to Earth, they are still brighter than usual. Look for them in the western sky. If you have a telescope, try to find Jupiter’s four bright moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Io, NASA recommends. A telescope can also help you spot Saturn’s illuminated rings and some of Saturn’s moons, including its largest moon, Titan.
After the next full moon on October 1, the hunters’ full moon will light up the night sky for socially estranged trick-or-treating lovers this Halloween.
Other names for the September Corn Moon (which was bequeathed by the now-defunct Maine Farmer’s Almanac in the 1930s) include Fruit, Barley, and the Hungry Ghost Moon, which refers to the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival that occurs on the 15th day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, according to NASA. In this day, ghosts and spirits, including those of ancestors, are believed to visit the living.
Originally posted on Live Science.
