'Super harvest moon': First day of fall meets full moon
This is just a regular old harvest moon in 2001. Imagine what the "super harvest moon" will look like. (Chris Young/State Journal-Register via AP)
Get ready for a night show. It's tough to come to grips with the end of summer. Luckily, autumn will enter with a bang this year.
Not only will Northern America witness the beginning of autumn at 11:09 Eastern tonight, there will be a full moon in the sky. Put those two occurrences together and you'll get the rare "super harvest moon."
"The two sources of light will mix together to create a kind of 360-degree, summer-autumn twilight glow," NASA Science writes.
When farmers relied on moonlight to extend harvesting hours, they started calling the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox the harvest moon. If the full moon fell on the first actual day of autumn, it became "super harvest," or the "harvestest."
The event has not occurred for 20 years, and probably will not reoccur until 2029.
As an added bonus, Jupiter will appear very close to the moon tonight. NASA's Tony Phillips writes: "A Super Harvest Moon, a rare twilight glow, a midnight conjunction--rarely does autumn begin with such celestial fanfare."
If you're out on the town tonight, take a photo of the super harvest moon. Or better yet, take a photo howling at the moon and submit your images here.
By
Melissa Bell
| September 22, 2010; 3:15 PM ET
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This must be like a double rainbow.
Posted by: olorinthemaiar | September 22, 2010 5:29 PM | Report abuse
"probably will not reoccur until 2029." ? Arggh. First, there's no probably about it. Predicting when a full moon occurs is pretty standard stuff. Second, checking your source on science.nasa.gov shows they didn't put the word "probably" in their sentence, so you quoted them incorrectly.
"Probably" should try again.
Posted by: tmw4587 | September 22, 2010 5:33 PM | Report abuse
And so Halloween begins....
Posted by: crrobin | September 22, 2010 5:39 PM | Report abuse
more ado over nothing...
the full moon occurs on the 1st day of autumn roughly every 28 years.
One of Mars, Jupiter or Saturn (or Venus) will be within 90 degrees of the moon...
Posted by: HankC_57 | September 22, 2010 5:49 PM | Report abuse
tmw4587 Ha! But what if the Mayans prove true and there is no 2029??
olorinthemaiar! So intense!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI
Posted by: bellabell | September 22, 2010 6:00 PM | Report abuse
The Sky and Telescope website is invaluable for celestial observing information, including diagrams (which it would behoove the Post to offer as well).
Posted by: SportzNut21 | September 22, 2010 6:05 PM | Report abuse
This must be like a double rainbow.
Posted by: olorinthemaiar
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What does it mean!?!
Posted by: mcoghlan | September 22, 2010 7:53 PM | Report abuse
Throw in some tremendous thunderheads and you have great skyshow out there right now!
It's the end of Times! Run for the hills! or a beer ...
Posted by: DonnyKerabatsos | September 22, 2010 9:01 PM | Report abuse
This must be like a double rainbow.
Posted by: olorinthemaiar
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What does it mean!?!
Posted by: mcoghlan
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Nothing, dear. Absolutely nothing. It's just where the moon is in its orbit around the earth at the time the earth is in the autumnal point in its orbit around the sun.
There IS no "meaning" to the location of the planets, any more than there's "meaning" to where my car is located on any given Tuesday.
Posted by: ktsmom9 | September 22, 2010 9:18 PM | Report abuse
I don't think that's the Neil Young version of Harvest Moon. It's a fantastic cover, though.
Posted by: bfinleymd | September 22, 2010 9:55 PM | Report abuse
There was definitely more of a twightlight than usual earlier. I walked out onto the front porch and saw the full moon and was so fascinated by it that I came in and dragged my housemate out onto the porch while he was on his cell phone to look at it. Then I came in and saw it on the front page of the Post!
Posted by: SusanMarie2 | September 22, 2010 10:24 PM | Report abuse
Who gives a s**t about winy Neil Young?
Posted by: MRGB | September 22, 2010 11:34 PM | Report abuse
This must be like a double rainbow.
Posted by: olorinthemaiar
_________________________________
What does it mean!?!
Posted by: mcoghlan
-------------------------------
Nothing, dear. Absolutely nothing. It's just where the moon is in its orbit around the earth at the time the earth is in the autumnal point in its orbit around the sun.
There IS no "meaning" to the location of the planets, any more than there's "meaning" to where my car is located on any given Tuesday.
Posted by: ktsmom9 |
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::sigh::
Thanks. Try to keep up, sweetheart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6TfGD6CQs0
Posted by: mcoghlan | September 23, 2010 1:46 AM | Report abuse
Ah, what a perfect ending to the story: Neil Young's "Harvest Moon", one of my all-time favorite songs...
Posted by: jeclose | September 23, 2010 8:50 AM | Report abuse
HankC_57: Being a cynic on such matters is not flattering. Try to lighten up.
Posted by: jckdoors | September 23, 2010 4:14 PM | Report abuse
what would hungrybear say?
Posted by: johnnycomelately1 | September 23, 2010 6:53 PM | Report abuse
What could be better on this Harvest Moon night that listening to Neil Young, the greatest living Canadian?
"I’m listening to Neil Young, I gotta turn up the sound" ~ Bob Dylan, 'Highlands.'
Posted by: WhateverHeSaid | September 23, 2010 6:57 PM | Report abuse
I don't think that's the Neil Young version of Harvest Moon. It's a fantastic cover, though.
Posted by: bfinleymd |
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That's the one, the only, Neil Young.
No one can "cover" Neil Young. No one.
Posted by: WhateverHeSaid | September 23, 2010 7:26 PM | Report abuse
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