Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon, The 2011 harvest moon received the drivers to the west at sunrise this morning. The full moon occurring nearest the autumnal equinox is designated harvest moon. The light of the harvest moon supposedly gave birth to farmers extra night at harvest time. The harvest moon was full this morning at exactly 5:27 a.m.

It was sinking in the western sky, when I took the photo below at 6:45 am today from the highway bridge in Raeford All American Road. That is the incoming traffic on Raeford Road under the harvest moon setting.

Tonight when the moon the moon is a little past full, but still appears fully illuminated for people who are watching with eyes only.

Point a telescope at the moon tonight and you can recognize a period slightly less than full. My computer has the software planetarium moon shows a face illuminated by the sun when it rises 99.5% tonight…. Compared with a 99.81% illumination of the moon this morning at dawn.

Moon rises tonight at 7:20 pm.

The hallmark of the harvest moon that shines is not bigger or brighter than full moons … because they usually do. The beauty of the harvest moon is the time to get up early for several nights after the full moon.

On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each successive night. This is due to the eastward movement of the moon around the Earth. All successive nights of the earth must rotate a little further east to the moon in sight.

However, around the autumn equinox, the moon also moves a little north and east right after the full moon night. To the north allowing the movement of the moon to come to light before.

We see this in the rise times of the moon on the nights.

Moon rises tonight at 7:20 pm. Tuesday night the moon is up 50 minutes later not, but 7:48 PM. Even Wednesday night the moon rises at 8:17 pm and moonrise on Thursday comes at 8:49 PM.

If given plenty of moonlight evening for outdoor activities … harvest or not.

Many of us associate the 1908 song “Shine on Harvest Moon”, with the moon tonight … more than the harvest of crops.