If you are a fan of big, pretty moons, this week is your Super Bowl.
One of the biggest, prettiest moons — the Harvest Moon — will be making an appearance just after sunset on Sept. 28-30.
The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the fall equinox that happened Saturday.
Last supermoon of 2023 rises this week. Don't miss the Harvest Moon shine with 3 bright planets https://t.co/gpd9jKp0il pic.twitter.com/Kfmwx1IqPr
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) September 25, 2023
If you look skyward on one of those days, you’ll likely see a moon that appears bigger, probably more orange, and definitely brighter.
The September 29 Harvest Moon will also be the last super moon of 2023. According to Earthsky.com, we will be able to see it Thursday through Saturday.
The moon will reach peak illumination at 5:58 a.m. EDT on Friday, though it will be below the horizon at that time.
It’s believed the name Harvest Moon came from when the light of the moon helped farmers gather their crops. According to Earthsky.com, the quick turnaround of the moonrise provided farmers with more hours of light, even though some of it was from the moon.
A song popular in the 1920s and 1930s extolled the praises of a big, bright moon.
