October 5: Say Hello to the Harvest Moon
Tonight is the full moon. It is the October full moon and, this year, it is the Harvest Moon, the one closest to the autumn equinox. While that usually occurs in September, this year the equinox was closer to October.
Have you seen that spotlight in the sky? It has been lighting the darkness for three nights which is exactly why it’s called the Harvest Moon, the one that brightened it enough for farmers to work longer to bring in the crops.
The full moon may look orange as it first rises. In Virginia the exact time of sunset and moonrise will differ just a little between the eastern side of the Commonwealth, and the western mountains. However, estimated times are:
- Thursday: Sunset at 6:44 pm, moonrise at 7:04 pm
- Friday: Sunset at 6:42 pm, moonrise at 7:40 pm
- Saturday: Sunset at 6:41 pm, moonrise at 8:18 pm
The moon will remain bright through the weekend so get out there and harvest a field. Happy autumn!
Cover photo by Lynn R. Mitchell:
The Harvest Moon rises from behind trees in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
