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Say goodbye to summer by saluting Monday night’s “harvest moon”, the last full moon before the northern hemisphere’s fall equinox on Wednesday, September 22.
When is the harvest moon?
The Americas can expect to see a full moon from Monday afternoon and evening through Tuesday morning – as Europe, Asia, Australia and most of Africa enter their hours afternoon and evening on September 21, which is their time to see it.
This means that the full moon has already risen for the westernmost time zones of the United States, and at exactly 7:55 p.m. for the east coast, according to NASA.
What does “harvest the moon” mean?
September’s full moon coincides with the traditional harvest season in North America and Europe, which paved the way for workers who toiled during the dark hours to pull up crops. As the sun briefly aligns with the equator on the fall equinox, before focusing on the southern hemisphere, the time between sunset and moonrise is shortened. This meant that the old farmers could continue their working days into the night without interruption.
What is the fall equinox?
The northern hemisphere enters fall as the Earth tilts to face the sun across the equator – marked by fewer hours of daylight. At the same time, our southern counterpart is making a foray into the spring, known as the Spring Equinox, which means they will reap most of the sun’s benefits over the next six months.
The fall equinox gives way to the winter solstice – December 21 for the northern hemisphere – when the earth’s pole reaches its tilt furthest from the sun.
What does Neil Young have to do with the harvest moon?
The Canadian singer-songwriter wrote arguably one of the greatest love songs of all time, titled “Harvest Moon”, for his 1992 album of the same name. If you’re up to a good cry, check out the comments section of the song’s YouTube video – a recording of countless tributes to lost loves by social media users.
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