How to See the October Harvest Moon—First in Almost a Decade
The lunar orb rising on Thursday night marks the closest full moon to the fall equinox. Here’s why that matters.
For sky-watchers in the Northern Hemisphere, the October full moon is pulling off a celestial trick that will be a real treat.
On Thursday night, the sky will be aglow with this year’s harvest moon—the first time a full moon bearing this moniker has fallen in October since 2009. Technically, the moon reaches its full phase on October 5 at 2:40 p.m. ET, which means the harvest moon will be in effect when the lunar orb glides above the horizon at 7:21 p.m. ET.
So why do we call this spectacle a harvest moon, and why is it special?
Civilizations around the world have long used the phases of the moon to keep track of time, and according to lunar tradition,
