Filed under: Moon Archive
As the earth revolves around the sun on its yearly cycle there are two instances when the sun is exactly above the equator. At these times neither pole tilts toward the sun and these moments are known as equinoxes. One occurs in March as the northern hemisphere starts to tilt toward the sun. In the north, that equinox is the vernal (spring) equinox, the beginning of spring. The other, around September, is the autumnal equinox and is the first day of autumn. In the southern hemisphere, the March equinox is autumnal, and the September equinox is vernal. Around the time of either equinox, which is the time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator, the night and day are of approximately equal length all over the earth.
Around the time of the Harvest Moon the time difference between moonrises on successive nights is shorter meaning there is very little darkness between sunset and moonrise. This continuance of light after sunset is beneficial to farmers as they can harvest their crops long after the sun has set. The full moon following the Harvest Moon is known as the Hunter’s Moon and has the same effect but to a lesser degree.
Most years the Harvest Moon comes in September, but from time to time it occurs in October, which is the case this year (2009). This is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere. The 2009 autumnal equinox occurred at 22 September, 2.18pm Pacific Daylight Time therefore making the upcoming full moon on October 3/4 the Full Harvest Moon for 2009. In the Southern Hemisphere this phenomenon appears around their vernal equinox, approximately March 21.
Stella Luna © 2009. All rights reserved.
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