The first Monday of autumn will bring us the Harvest Moon. Look up around 7:52 p.m. for the lovely view.
What is a Harvest Moon? It's a full moon that occurs near the autumn equinox. Sometimes it happens in October, too.
It's also the time of year when the full moon rises about 30 minutes after sunset, and that's about 20 minutes earlier than normal. That means there won't be a lot of darkness before the full moon helps to light the night sky. This will happen for several nights after the full moon, so dusk won't feel as long.
As storytellers would say, back in the day when families did not have outdoor lights, this extra moonlight would allow more time to gather, or harvest crops, even though the days were getting shorter.
The Harvest Moon will not appear any bigger, like some full moons can look at different times of the year. This full moon will orbit farther from earth so it may actually appear a bit smaller than normal.
So now for the all-important question: Will our skies be clear enough to see the Harvest Moon? Monday should be mostly sunny, but it will get chillier as the evening goes. Skies should stay mostly clear, just have a jacket handy for your moon-gazing. View the latest forecast here.
