You don’t want to miss the moon this weekend.
The full moon Saturday (September 10) also bears the title Harvest Moon For those who live in the northern hemisphere. The moon officially turns a full degree when it reaches that spot in the sky opposite (180 degrees) to the sun in the sky. This moment will happen on Saturday at 5:59 AM ET (0959 GMT).
It is the full moon on Saturday that comes closest to the September equinox, so this year it falls in September, although sometimes this title can be given at the full moon in October. The 2022 release of Harvest Moon comes unusually early, although it can happen as early as September 8 (as in 2014) or as late as October 7 (as in 1987).
Related: Night sky, September 2022: what you can see tonight [maps]
Many believe that the Harvest Moon remains in the night sky longer than any of the other full moons we see during the year, but this is not so. What distinguishes the full moon on Saturday from others is that farmers at the height of the current harvest can work late at night in the light of the moon. rise over time the sun sets, but more importantly, at this time of year, instead of rising from its normal average 50 minutes later each day, the moon appears to rise at about the same time each night.
Below we have provided some examples of ten cities in North America. Local moonrise times are provided for September 9, 10, and 11, and the middle date is the full moon harvest date.
| Site | September 9 | September 10 | September 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, New Mexico | 7:25 PM CST | 7:55 PM CST | 8:23 PM CST |
| Chicago | 7:16 p.m. CST | 7:41 PM PDT | 8:05 p.m. CST |
| Denver | 7:24 PM CST | 7:51 PM CST | 8:16 PM CST |
| Edmonton, Alberta | 8:22 PM CST | 8:35 PM CST | 8:46 PM CST |
| Houston | 7:32 PM PDT | 8:06 p.m. CST | 8:38 p.m. CST |
| Los Angeles | 7:11 PM PDT | 7:42 PM PDT | 8:11pm PDT |
| Miami | 7:26 PM EST | 8:02pm EST | 8:37 PM EST |
| Montreal | 7:25pm EST | 7:47 PM EST | 8:07pm EST |
| New York City | 7:19 PM EST | 7:45 PM EST | 8:09pm EST |
| Seattle | 7:47 PM PDT | 8:06 PM PDT | 8:24 PM PDT |
In fact, during this three-night period of relatively small sampling, the rise of the moon comes, on average, more than 25 minutes later each night—or exactly half of the normal 50-minute duration. A quick study of the table shows that the difference between night and night is greater for southern locations (Miami, located near 26 degrees north latitude, sees moonrise after an average of 36 minutes). Meanwhile, the difference is less at northern locations (in Edmonton, Alberta, located at 53.6°N latitude, the average difference is only 12 minutes).
The reason for this seasonal circumstance is that the moon appears to be moving along ecliptic And at this time of year when it is rising, the ecliptic makes its smallest angle with respect to the horizon for those in the northern hemisphere.
In contrast, for those living in the Southern Hemisphere, the ecliptic at this time of year appears to stand almost perpendicular (roughly at right angles) to the eastern horizon. As such, the difference in moonrise time exceeds an average of 50 minutes per night. In Melbourne, Australia, for example, the difference between night and night is 72 minutes.
Interestingly, for those who live near 60 degrees north latitude, the moon actually appears to rise at the same time each night around the time of the Harvest Moon. And for those who live further north, there is a paradox: the moon seems to rise earlier! In Reykjavik, Iceland (64.2 degrees north latitude), for example, moonrise times on September 9, 10, and 11, respectively, will be 8:51 pm, 8:43 pm, and 8:36 pm, so from Reykjavik The moon will appear to rise about eight minutes early each night.
You can check out our guides for best binoculars and the The best telescopes To discover Harvest Moon. If you’re hoping to take a good picture of the moon, check out our recommendations for the best astrophotography cameras And the Best lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s note: If you took a picture of Harvest Moon and would like to share it with the readers of Space.com, send your picture(s), comments, name, and location to [email protected].
Joe Rao works as a teacher and guest lecturer in New York Hayden Planetarium (Opens in a new tab). He writes about astronomy for Journal of Natural History (Opens in a new tab)The Farmers’ calendar (Opens in a new tab) and other publications.
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