The majestic “Micro Harvest Moon” will be making a glowing appearance this weekend.
The full moon is expected to rise on Friday the 13th, or shortly after, depending on your timezone.
The last time this particular event happened on Friday the 13th was back in October of 2000, and it won’t happen again until August of 2049.
What’s a “Micro Harvest Moon”?
According to NASA, the moon will be full at half-past midnight and stay full for the next two days at around the same time, from Thursday night through to Sunday morning.
The “Micro Harvest Moon” is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox which marks the end of summer and start of fall. What’s special about this year’s harvest moon is that it will look smaller than usual full moons. So, this weekend’s Harvest Moon is going to be slightly less bright than average due to where it’s situated on its elliptical orbit.
Here's today's Moon, now in its first quarter phase (half full). 🌓 Learn more about the coming Harvest Moon — it will be full on Sept. 14. — and other sky events at: https://t.co/0B2cyefKnu pic.twitter.com/vJ8zfNRLBu
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 6, 2019
Where did the name come from?
As the summer heat starts to fade and leaves begin to touch the ground, the start of the harvest season begins.
During harvest season, farmers depend on the bright moonlight from this particular full moon so they can work well into the night as they get their crops ready.
The name “Harvest Moon” originated from an old European name for the full moon; the Oxford English Dictionary cites the year 1706 for the first published use of the name.
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