Current:Home > StocksA Harvest Moon reaches peak illumination tonight: When to look up-LoTradeCoin
A Harvest Moon reaches peak illumination tonight: When to look up
View Date:2024-12-23 20:00:45
As the nights grow long and the temperatures cool in the Northern Hemisphere, a new moon famed for its brightness and orange hue will rise in the sky.
The Harvest Moon, which has inspired no shortage of cultural touchstones – from a Nintendo game to Neil Young’s Billboard hit – occurs annually around the start of fall at a time when Earth's only natural satellite is especially close to our planet.
Because it rises near sunset and reaches peak fullness earlier, the Harvest Moon not only provides more working hours to farmers, but can provide quite a sight to skygazers across the hemisphere.
Here's what to know about this year's super Harvest Moon and how you can see the celestial body as it's also eclipsed by Earth's shadow.
Moongazing:Partial lunar eclipse to combine with supermoon for spectacular sight across U.S.
What is a Harvest Moon?
Unlike other moon names, the Harvest Moon is not associated with a specific month but, rather, occurs each year around the time of the autumnal equinox, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. This means that the Harvest Moon can occur in either September or October, depending on how the lunar cycle lines up with the Gregorian calendar.
This year's autumnal equinox is Sunday, Sept. 22, but the Harvest Moon is rising in the night skies already.
When is the Harvest Moon?
The Harvest Moon appeared Monday and will last for three nights, ending in the early pre-dawn hours of Thursday morning, according to the Almanac.
The moon will reach peak illumination at 10:34 P.M. EDT Tuesday.
Why is it called a Harvest Moon?
During the nights preceding the autumnal equinox, the moonrise occurs sooner than is typical, resulting in an abundance of light earlier in the evening after sunset.
The extra light has traditionally provided farmers with more time to pick (or harvest) their crops, and so the name "Harvest Moon" was born.
Autumn is historically a busy time of year for farmers as they work past sundown harvesting the summer's crops, according to NASA. As such, moonlight became an essential part of farming.
According to NASA, the first known written use of the name "Harvest Moon" in the English language was in 1706, per the Oxford English Dictionary.
What does a Harvest Moon look like?
Many skygazers regard the Harvest Moon as appearing bigger, brighter and more orange than a typical moon.
But according to EarthSky, a website devoted to astronomy and Earth sciences, that may partly be due to an illusion. That's right: The way our brains process the view causes the moon to appear larger near the horizon than it does when it's higher up in the sky, NASA says.
Because most people look at the full Harvest Moon after sunset, when the celestial body has just risen, it naturally appears bigger as any full moon would, EarthSky says. It's proximity to the horizon – at least from a skygazer's vantage – is also what lends the moon an orange-ish hue as spectators must peer through a thicker portion of Earth's atmosphere than when gazing overhead.
The moon's orbit is not a perfect circle around Earth, which means that the full Harvest Moon's distance from Earth in any given year can effect how big it appears in our skies.
Harvest Moon coincides with lunar eclipse, supermoon
This year, the Harvest Moon is not only also a full supermoon, but also coincides with another celestial event: A partial lunar eclipse.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the satellite's closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit. A lunar eclipse, meanwhile, results from the Earth moving between the sun and moon. This week, those three celestial bodies imperfectly align, creating a partial lunar eclipse as Earth’s shadow falls upon – but does not entirely cover – the surface of the moon.
This week's partial lunar eclipse should be visible Tuesday night across the entire northern hemisphere, including North America. For those in the United States, that means all lower 48 states should have a view.
According to NASA, the moon will enter Earth's partial shadow at 8:41 PM EDT, but it's the peak of the eclipse that viewers will want to witness. While the moon will slightly dim around 10:13 p.m., the peak itself will occur at 10:44 p.m.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Is Veterans Day a federal holiday? Here's what to know for November 11
- Democrats are becoming a force in traditionally conservative The Villages
- Coach’s Halloween 2024 Drop Is Here—Shop Eerie-sistible Bags and Accessories We’re Dying To Get Our Hands
- Pac-12 Conference files lawsuit against Mountain West over potential 'poaching fee'
- Nevada trial set for ‘Dances with Wolves’ actor in newly-revived sex abuse case
- Major movie theater chains unveil $2.2 billion plan to improve 'cinematic experience'
- Marcellus Williams to be executed in Missouri woman's brutal murder; clemency denied
- Federal officials say Michigan school counselor referred to student as a terrorist
- Eva Longoria calls US 'dystopian' under Trump, has moved with husband and son
- 'Monsters' star Nicholas Alexander Chavez responds after Erik Menendez slams Netflix series
Ranking
- Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
- A city proud of its role in facing down hatred confronts a new wave of violence
- Man who staked out Trump at Florida golf course charged with attempting an assassination
- Who's in the disguise? Watch as 7-time Grammy Award winner sings at Vegas karaoke bar
- Lala Kent Swears by This Virgo-Approved Accessory and Shares Why Stassi Schroeder Inspires Her Fall Style
- US company accuses Mexico of expropriating its property on the Caribbean coast
- To read a Sally Rooney novel is to hold humanity in your hands: 'Intermezzo' review
- US company accuses Mexico of expropriating its property on the Caribbean coast
Recommendation
-
Bears fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron amid stretch of 23 drives without a TD
-
Shailene Woodley Shares Her Beef With Porn as a Very Sexual Person
-
US appeals court says man can sue Pennsylvania over 26 years of solitary confinement
-
Tropical Weather Latest: Tropical Storm Helene forms in Caribbean, Tropical Storm John weakens
-
Bill on school bathroom use by transgender students clears Ohio Legislature, heads to governor
-
Cam Taylor-Britt doesn't regret 'college offense' barb after Commanders burn Bengals for win
-
Melania Trump is telling her own story — and again breaking norms for American first ladies
-
Cam Taylor-Britt doesn't regret 'college offense' barb after Commanders burn Bengals for win