Harvest Moon

The full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox. (September 23 this year) is called the Harvest Moon. This Moon, which occurs on Monday, September 12 this year, is not just the full Moon that occurs at the time of the harvest. It is the full Moon that actually helps the harvest by providing more light at the right time than other full Moons do.

Because of the location of the sun, Earth, and moon this month, the nearly full moon will appear low in the southeastern sky for several nights in a row, which traditionally has allowed farmers an extension of daylight during the critical time of year when they are harvesting their crops.

The exact time of full moon will be 5:27 a.m. EDT (0927 GMT) on Sept. 12.