When and how to see the Micro Harvest Moon tonight

What's more scary than Friday the 13th? A full moon on Friday 13th But it will also be a Micro Harvest Moon, the Full Moon closest to the autumn equinox (late summer and early fall).

What is a harvest moon?

A micromoon is the opposite of a "supermoon" and will appear about 14% smaller in the sky. This is because the moon is also approaching its apex, the farthest point on Earth's elliptical orbit of a month. The moon will be at its apex on September 13th at 9:32 am EDT.

Also known as Fruit Moon, Orley Moon or Moon Festival, the Harvest Moon serves as a source of light for farmers who must work later. According to NASA, the Full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Moon Harvest, it seems to rise almost at the same time. In the United States, this period is normally 25 to 30 minutes.

These two types of moons are rare.

According to NASA, the Moon will be full early Saturday morning September 14, 2019. It will appear in front of the sun at 12:33 EDT. It will appear full for three days at about the same time, from Thursday evening to Sunday morning.

according to Farmer's almanacA Full Moon on Friday the 13th is not common as it can only happen once or three times a year. The last time that there was a full moon on Friday, January 13 was in 2006. The next will be in August 2049.

But according to Dr. Robert Massey, Deputy Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society, this phenomenon is not technically rare: "This is a strange phenomenon, the Moon being slightly smaller (7%) than average, is not a particularly important phenomenon., and I do not know any astronomer who calls it a "micro moon", he says Newsweek.

How can I watch the harvest moon?

As for the other nights when you look at the moon, you simply need to be able to see it in the sky, so that it is not hidden by buildings, hills or clouds, says Dr. Massey. "Full Moon time is 14th September at 04:32 GMT, so for the United States, it would be 23:32 am on 13th September.

"On September 14, in the northern hemisphere, the moon will head south at midnight, so for people who spend the summer time, it means 1 am in the morning"

Currently, there is no live stream announced by NASA or YouTube.