The full Harvest Moon “rose” in the east from behind the islands in Blue Hill Bay last night. At first, it was like a huge molten globule – red-orange and distorted because the heavier gases in our lower atmosphere filter out blue light waves and create contorted sights.
As it rose into lighter atmospheres, last night’s moon became circular, turned yellow and then white, and, finally, extended a friendly glitter path to us on the Bay. Tonight’s moon also will look full to unaided eyes.
It’s called the Harvest Moon or Corn Moon because it becomes 100 percent illuminated by the sun at the traditional time of Native American vegetable harvesting and can provide enough light to harvest into the night.
The Harvest Moon name is given each year to the full moon that comes closest to the fall equinox, the seasonal tipping point after which we’ll receive less and less sunlight. This year’s fall equinox is tomorrow, September 22, the first day of Autumn.
In two out of three years, the fall equinox (“equal night”) occurs in September. When the equinox is in October, the full moon becomes a combined Harvest and Hunter’s Full Moon. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on September 20, 2021.)