Harvest Moon will peak this evening - just two days before the official start ...

Harvest Moon will peak this evening - just two days before the official start ...
Harvest Moon will peak this evening - just two days before the official start ...

Look up this evening to enjoy the full 'Harvest Moon' as it lights up the night sky, just two days before the official start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

This is the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox - the moment the sun appears to cross over the celestial equator - on September 22.

In the UK, the full moon rises at 19:23 BST tonight and sets at 06:52 BST tomorrow morning, but will appear full for the next three nights.

On average, the moon rises 50 minutes later than sunset each day. 

However, when a full moon occurs close to autumn equinox, the moon rises only 30 minutes after the sunset, lending to its golden hue.

The September full moon was named Harvest Moon in the 1700s when farmers depended on the glow of moonlight to harvest crops late at night.

This is the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox, which falls on September 22, that is the moment the sun appears to cross over the celestial equator. Here the 95% full waxing crescent moon can be seen rising behind Lady Liberty

This is the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox, which falls on September 22, that is the moment the sun appears to cross over the celestial equator. Here the 95% full waxing crescent moon can be seen rising behind Lady Liberty

SHINE ON HARVEST MOON: WHAT IS THE EQUINOX MOON? 

The Harvest Moon is the first full moon that takes place close to the autumn equinox, happening up to two weeks either side of the annual event.  

It derived its name because farmers are able to use the moonlight to work late into the night under moonlight. 

Normally a full moon rises about 50 minutes after sunset and sets about 50 minutes before sunrise.

For a Harvest Moon this can be as little as 20 minutes before or after, depending on how far north you are.  

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According to NASA, farmers across the Northern Hemisphere used the light of a full moon to extend their workday beyond sunset before electric light was invented. 

'It was the only way they could gather their ripening crops in time for market. The full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox became 'the Harvest Moon,' and it was always a welcome sight,' the US space agency explained.

'The term became further entrenched in popular culture thanks to a 1903 pop tune called "Shine on Harvest Moon".'

The Harvest Moon can occur any time from a fortnight before, to a fortnight after the autumn equinox and is either the last full moon of summer, or the first full moon of autumn. 

This is the fourth full moon of summer this year, and will peak before the equinox actually happens, making it a summer moon.

In the southern hemisphere it is the fourth full moon of the winter, known as a worm moon - in the winter the Harvest Moon happens in March.

While all full moons have a name, and most come from

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