The Harvest Moon of 2020 rises tonight! But why is it in October?
By Joe Rao 7 hours ago
When the full moon shines tonight (Oct. 1), it will mark the Harvest Moon of 2020.
If it seems a bit late to you, you're not alone. Each year, the full moon that occurs nearest to the autumnal equinox and is thus christened the Harvest Moon. Usually this title goes to the September full moon. There are other versions of this rule that classify the Harvest Moon as the full moon that comes either at or just after the equinox, which, more-often-than-not, would also put it in October. But in the years between 1970 and 2050, the Harvest Moon falls in October no less than 17 times, and 2020 just happens to be one of those years.
While the average occurrence of an October Harvest Moon is once every three years, sometimes as much as eight years can pass between such cases. In fact, the next time we will see a Harvest Moon in October will be in 2028.
A full moon shines over Virginia.A full moon shines over Virginia. The Harvest Moon of 2020 will
rise on Oct. 1, 2020. (Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Some skywatchers may think that the Harvest Moon remains in the night sky longer than any of the other full moons we see during the year, but that's not the case. What sets tonight's full moon apart from the others throughout the year is that farmers at the peak of the current harvest season can work late into the night by the brilliant moonlight.
More:
https://www.space.com/harvest-moon-2020-in-october-explained?utm_source=notification
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We've had clear skies here lately, so I hope and expect tonight will be no different.
Lower left quadrant. I guess gremlins are harvesting too much.
