You’ve heard of the “Harvest Moon.” Everyone has, but why? It’s just another full moon, one of 13 in 2023, so why is September’s full moon special?
Officially 100% full at 4:59 a.m. EDT on Friday, September 29, 2023—and best viewed as it appears on the eastern horizon at moonrise where you are later that day during dusk—the “Harvest Moon” truly is something special. Here’s why:
1. It’s Defined By The Equinox
The full moon that gets the “Harvest Moon” moniker is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which in the northern hemisphere marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn or fall. This year the equinox occurred at 06:50 UTC on Saturday, September. 23. The “Harvest Moon” will be full at 10:57 UTC on Friday, September 29.
2. This Year It’s Also A ‘Supermoon’
August’s second full moon—thus a “Blue Moon”—was 2023’s biggest and brightest “supermoon” simply because it was the closest full moon to Earth. That must happen every year because the moon orbits in a slight ellipse, so has a perigee and an apogee point each month. However, since technically a supermoon is declared when a full moon is within 90% of the moon’s closest approach to Earth, the “Harvest Moon” is 2023’s fourth and final supermoon. It won’t appear larger than usual, but its extra brightness may be noticeable.
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The full Harvest Moon rises over wind turbines of a wind…
The full Harvest Moon rises over wind turbines with a recently harvested wheat field below. LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES
3. It’s Traditionally Adored By Farmers
That slight extra brightness this year will be great to any farmers who need to get their crops in by hand—the reason why the “Harvest Moon” gets its name. Since a full moon shines all night long, September’s full moon is historically associated with harvesting crops late into the night. Mechanization has made that moot across most of the world, but the name has stuck.
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4. It Will Light-Up The Sky For Several Nights
Whether or not there’s a supermoon, the “Harvest Moon’s” reputation for illumination is well deserved for other celestial reasons. On any given day of the year the moon rises about 50 minutes later than the previous day. However, in northerly latitudes of the northern hemisphere—such as Europe, where the name “Harvest Moon” originates—this full moon rises at a similar time for several nights close to the equinox. For example, in New York the moon rises at 18:35, 19:00 and 19:25 on September 28, 29 and 30, respectively. In London it’s 18:41, 18:54 and 19:08.
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That happens because Earth’s tilt means the ecliptic (roughly the line in the sky that the moon orbits Earth along) makes a shallow angle with the horizon in the northern hemisphere, according to timeanddate. READ MORE