Tonight an uncommon event will occur in the skies over the UK: a Harvest Moon showing up on Friday the 13th.
The Harvest Moon itself isn’t really that uncommon – it happens every year and is only the name given to the full moon happening during this time. Be that as it may, tonight time’s Harvest Moon is being known as a ‘micromoon’ due to being about 14% smaller in the sky than an average full moon.
It’s like the opposite of a supermoon.
Maine Farmers’ Almanac astronomer Joe Rao said the decreased size is because of the position of the moon when it peaks.
He told the Express: ‘To add to this Full Moon ‘madness’, this upcoming Full Moon very nearly coincides with apogee – that point in its orbit which places it at its greatest distance from the Earth: 252,100 miles away.
‘Remember last February, when the Full Moon coincided with perigee, its closest point to Earth? The Moon was more than 30,000 miles closer and was accordingly branded a ‘Supermoon’.
Additionally, having a full moon show up the night of Friday 13th is likewise really uncommon. The last time it happened was in the year 2000 and it won’t occur again until 2049.
Despite the fact that in case everyone is being technical, it’ll really be on Saturday 14th as it’ll hit the peak at about 5.30am BST. Why is it called the Harvest Moon?
The Harvest Moon is the name given to the full moon that happens nearest to the September equinox every year. It happens when the moon is situated on the opposite side of Earth from the sun, completely enlightening it. The name of ‘Harvest Moon’ was given to it since it occurred during the time of year when corn was harvested and acquired. You may sometimes hear it referred to as the Full Corn Moon for a similar reason.
In spite of the fact that it does not demonstrate if the name began in North America or Europe, it signals the beginning of a new season – the beginning of pre-winter. The next full moon after the Harvest Moon is the Hunters Moon which will happen on October 13.
Topics #Harvest Moon
