Harvest Moon

Above: I love these difficult shots. . . where a plane appears to be crossing the moon. Here the plane looks quite small.



Above: As seen in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

The harvest moon is the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox (Sept. 22-23). In folklore the harvest moon refers to the autumn moon helping farmers working to bring in their crops.



In general the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. The Harvest Moon is special because around the time of this full moon the time difference between moonrise on successive evenings is shorter than the usual 50 minutes.



Above: As seen in Taos, New Mexico.

The moon rises about 30 minutes later from one night to the next, as seen from about 40 degrees N. or S. latitude in autumn. Thus there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise around the time of this full moon.



The shorter-than-usual rising time between successive moonrises around the equinox is because the ecliptic -- the plane of the Earth's orbit around the sun -- makes a narrow angle with respect to the horizon in the evening in autumn.



Above: As seen last night in Lincoln, Illinois.

The next full moon will be the Hunter's moon (sometimes called the Frosty moon, Snow moon, or Beaver moon).



Above: The warm color of the moon shortly after it rises is caused by light from the moon passing through a greater amount of atmospheric particles than when the moon is overhead. The atmosphere scatters the bluish component of moonlight but allows the reddish component of the light to travel a straighter path to one's eyes. Hence the reddish hue.



Above: It appears larger in size because the brain perceives a low-hanging moon to be larger than one that is high in the sky. The camera can mimic the brain and make the moon look larger or smaller.



Above: The phenomenon of the larger moon at moonrise is referred to as moon illusion. It can also be seen with constellations.



Above: An artsy shot through a grate.



Above: As seen in Latvia.



Above: As seen in Hammond, Louisiana.



Above: As seen setting over the Pacific Ocean in California, USA.



Above: As seen in Brownfield, Maine.



Above: As seen in Bork, Poland.



Above: As seen in Washington, DC on September 11, 2011.