A Full Moon Tonight, But It Isn’t Called The Harvest Moon…

Tonight if you look up at the sky there will be a bright full moon on display. Last night I headed out for a walk around 7:45 and the moon was pretty impressive as it rose into the night sky. With the full moon being tonight at approximately 12:22am, thanks science, most people would call it the harvest moon, as it is happening in September. You'd be right in other years, but not in 2020. Tonight's full moon is called the Full Corn Moon, or the Barley Moon. So why isn't it called a harvest moon?

According to timeanddate.com, "most years, the September Full Moon is the Harvest Moon. This particular name is given to the Full Moon which is closest to the September equinox, which is the start of fall in astronomy. The astronomical seasons do not match up with the lunar month. Therefore, the month of the Harvest Moon varies. Usually, it occurs in September, but every three years, it is in the month of October."

And of course, 2020 puts us in the third year, where the harvest moon will occur on Oct 1, 2020, at 4:05 pm. That is closer to the autumnal equinox date of September 22nd, rather than tonight's full moon.

Tonight by the way should be a good night to check out the moon as the forecast is calling for clear skies and temps to be in the low to mid-fifties.