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Here we move from summer to autumn. For 2018, September 22 marks the autumn equinox, the date at which the length of day is equal to the duration of the night (well, almost but not quite). Given the 365 days and days of change, the earth is orbiting the sun, the autumnal equinox can swing year by year, from September 21 to 24. It turns out that the autumn equinox is closely followed by the harvest moon that will take place on September 24th. The harvest moon is only the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. As a general rule, the harvest moon is the full moon of September. Some years, the equinox and the harvest moon may coincide. In other years, the full moon may arrive before the equinox or, as this year, it follows the equinox. From time to time, the harvest moon may be the full moon of October.
The vagaries of the equinox or the harvest moon simply reflect that our calendar is not perfectly synchronized with the orbits of the earth and the moon. There is not much difference between the first day of autumn and the last day of summer, so these events do not really mark a change, but rather are part of continuous and slow changes in nature, flow we turn around the sun.
Our activities do not always correspond perfectly to the seasons or when we think that these activities should take place. We generally think that football is a fall sport, but the grill has been in action for a month and will continue until almost until Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, the boys of the summer will play ball until Halloween.
Farmers also harvest crops throughout the year and not only in the fall. Nevertheless, the harvest moon was used as a marker for harvesting their crops. In practice, its light has allowed farmers to have more time to work during the busiest time of the year.
Full moons always rise shortly after sunset, but for most of the year, the moon rises about 50 minutes later or more each day. The harvest moon is a little different and special. For several evenings after the harvest moon, the moon only rises 20 to 30 minutes each night. This gives farmers and all of us an abundance of moonlight, from sunset to night, while the moon does not set before the next dawn.
Of course, with powerful headlights on tractors, farmers do not need to rely on the harvest moon for their harvest to be over. However, the harvest moon highlights other opportunities for nocturnal activities. Although the "fall migration" of birds is spread from June to December, September is its peak time, with many migrants flying at night. The nights around the harvest moon provide a great time to see silhouettes of these migrants passing by the moon. During their nocturnal migration, birds will fly several thousand feet in the air. So take a break from the harvest and point your binoculars or telescope at the moon. Then enjoy the show and shine on the harvest moon.
Stuart Reitz is an agent of the County of Malheur Extension Office. The opinions and opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Argus Observer.
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