All new Skywatchers should get ready for two full moons in October, and the first one will illuminate the sky tonight. Always reach for the moon and chances are you will wind up among the ✨ ⭐️ STARS.
The next full Moon will be on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 1, 2020, appearing "opposite" the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 5:05 p.m. EDT. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Wednesday morning through Saturday morning. Every year has twelve full moons, but this one has thirteen.
As the full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which is the end of summer and start of fall, this is the known as The Harvest Moon. During the harvest season farmers sometimes need to work late into the night by the light of the Moon. The full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the northern USA, and only 10 to 20 minutes later farther north in Canada and Europe. The Harvest Moon is an old European name with the Oxford English Dictionary giving 1706 as the year of its first published use. Most years the Harvest Moon falls in September but wouldn’t you know that this is one of the years it happens to fall in October.
It is called the Full Harvest Moon is not the only celestial sight to look forward to because the planet Mars will also be visible nearby.
The Full Harvest Moon rises on Thursday, October 1, and it'll reach peak illumination at 5:05 p.m. according to the Farmer's Almanac. So be sure to look toward the horizon around sunset.
What better way to kick off October?
