The full moon closest to the September equinox — famous for rising near sunset several nights running, lighting the harvest. The lore and how to see it.
Unlike the other moons, the Harvest Moon is named for an event, not a month: it's the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. Around this time the Moon's orbit meets the horizon at a shallow angle, so it rises only ~25 minutes later each night instead of ~50 — giving farmers several evenings of bright early moonlight to bring in the crops.
For a few nights running, the Harvest Moon rises big and golden right around sunset in the east. The warm colour is the usual horizon effect — extra atmosphere reddening the low Moon — amplified by the 'moon illusion' that makes a horizon Moon look huge.
Get a closer look
A beginner telescope or good astronomy binoculars bring the Moon's craters and phases into stunning detail.
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