Those are not just lyrics from a song from my great-grandparents' generation. They refer to a phenomenon of light.
My friend
J-Who-Lived-with-the-Native-Americans says the Harvest Moon lasts for 5 days. We pagans tend to celebrate a three-day window for a full moon, so what gives?
Deborah at Earth & Sky explains it all to us:
The moon typically rises about 50 minutes later each day, but the Harvest Moon rises around the time of sunset for several evenings in a row. Why? The reason is the ecliptic -- or path of the sun, moon and planets ... The ecliptic makes its narrowest angle with the horizon in the evening, every autumn.
A fifty minute average difference in moon rise, down to 30 minutes at the harvest moon and all the way up to 70 minutes in January!
As for why it's called a
harvest moon:
That comes in handy for northern farmers who are working long days to harvest their crops before autumn. The extra dose of lighting afforded by the full moon closest to the equinox is what gives the Harvest Moon its name. In the southern hemisphere, this Full Moon behaves in exactly the opposite way. South of the equator, there will be an extra long time between moonrises from one evening to the next.
There are many moon-naming systems, but in North America we tend to call moons after the tradition of the Algonquin (Native American) tribes. To learn the names and lore of the moons, visit the Farmer's Almanac
Full Moon Names page.
And notice that
the Harvest Moon doesn't always occur in September.So, if you missed your extended-period moon gazing last night (or even Saturday or Sunday), don't fret. There's still light and energy for full moon magic tonight and tomorrow night.
Shine on!
Haloscan:
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Blogger:
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I didn't get pomegranates this season -- too busy to get to the stores that sell them! Will have to do the pomegranate/ruby experience next fall.