Weather Focus 3: The October Harvest Moon

By Frank Macek

CLEVELAND -- October 4th will bring the annual Harvest full moon to northeast Ohio.

The Harvest Moon is the one closest to the autumn equinox. In three out of four years or so, the full Harvest Moon occurs in September. In the other years, it occurs in early October including in 2009.

This particular full moon is named as such because farmers can work late into the night by the amount of light generated by the moon. According to tradition, the Harvest Moon is when the corn, pumpkins, squash beans and wild rice are finally ready for gathering.

Although the moon rises and sets about 50 minutes later each day. During the Harvest Moon, the moon seems to rise around the same time over a period of several days.

In the U.S. this time is only 25 to 30 minutes different each night, while in much of Canada and Europe, the moon appears to rise just 10 to 20 minutes later each day during this same time. This effect has to do with the seasonal tilt of the earth in the fall.

People believe the Harvest Moon appears bigger, brighter and more colorful than other full moons.

The warm color is more an optical illusion, called "Moon Illusion" during the moon's ascent into the nighttime sky. When the moon appears near the horizon, an observer is looking at it through a larger amount of atmospheric particles than when it is found overhead.

During this time, the atmosphere is more able to scatter the bluish component of moonlight and allows the reddish component to reach our eyes.

In reality, this same process occurs with all full moons over the course of the year.

In other years when the full moon occurs later in October, the moon is called the "Hunter's Moon" or the "Moon of Falling Leaves."

Get ready to enjoy this year's Harvest Moon that will reach maximum fullness on Sunday, October 4th at 2:10 a.m., EDT.