Super-harvest-moon

The Harvest Moon is the name for the full moon that is closest to the autumnal equinox, or the official start of fall, on Sept. 22. Traditionally, every full moon has special nickname that says something about the season or time of year in which it appears. For example, the Snow Moon happens in February during winter and the Flower Moon is in May during spring. Before electricity, moonlight was crucial for farmers who had to work after sundown, especially in early autumn when many crops are ready to be harvested. For that reason, the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox was called the "Harvest Moon." The Harvest Moon can come either two weeks before or two weeks the autumnal equinox. This year it's a bit early.

Well when I was younger I was told the Harvest Moon is 'special' for another reason. Typically, the moon rises about fifty minutes later each day throughout the year. But when the full moon occurs near the fall equinox, the gaps between moonrises are shorter. The moon rises only about 30 minuts later ech night, appearing at sunset. This has to do with the moon's path, which makes a narrow edngle with the horizon at the beginning of autumn. Not only does the moon rise earlier than usual in the evening, but this happens for several nights in a row — before and after the full moon — resulting in three consecutive days of the moon appearing at nearly the same time. Cool. huh?