Harvest Moon - Happens once a year
A harvest moon is a full one which appears in the sky near to the time of the autumnal equinox, which occurs either on or around the date of September 23 every year. It is usually a tinted yellow color. Although, at times a harvest moon occurs in October depending on the cycles. When it occurs in September it is called a harvest moon. When it occurs in October, it is called a “Hunters.” It also is known under other names such as “Wine,” “Singing,” and “Elk Call.” These types of names were given to the different types of moons before modern calendars were created. They used them to keep track of time. They have been handed down through the generations are still used today as part of recent modern lore.
The other names given during the other months of the year include:
January = Wolf
February = Snow
March = Worm
April = Pink
May = Flower
June = Strawberry
July = Buck
August = Sturgeon
November = Beaver
December = Cold
When a harvest moon appears in the sky, it means the harvesting months are about to begin in the Northern Hemisphere. There are many cultures which celebrate this time of year with gatherings, festivals and rituals that pay homage to the harvest moon. Its name derives from the fact that during their harvesting, farmers were able to use the light from the harvest moon to continue working in their fields on their crops on the farm.
The harvest moon is definitely not an ordinary one. Throughout the year, the average rise of the moons is about 50 minutes later every day. But near the time of the autumnal equinox, they difference in the time of the moonrise is only 30 minutes, which means shortly after the sun sets, it will rise.
The harvest moon sometimes appears to be larger than other full moons, but really, it is just creating an illusion. The image of it is always the same in size no matter what time of year. This same type of illusion can be seen in the Spring at the time of the Spring equinox, which usually occurs in March.
To obtain more content about the types of moons and their names and origins, you can do a search on the web from this page on this site and read about this interesting information. Don’t forget to head out in your back yard at home this September or October to see the next harvest moon! It’ll be very enjoyable!