As the calendar turns to September, the leaves on trees across the northern tier of the United States start to turn a tinge of yellow, orange and brown, a taste of what’s to come this fall in forests across the country. However, for stargazers September marks the return of longer nights with a slate of astronomical events unfolding in the early autumn sky.
Not only will nights become longer than days across the Northern Hemisphere in September, but the weather will also help to bring the night sky into focus. The gradual downturn in humidity results in crisper views of the night sky, a stark difference from the muggy summer nights that can make some stars look slightly fuzzy.
The second weekend of September will kick off with an astronomical alignment featuring one of the year’s most popular full moons.
Every full moon has several nicknames that relate to events that take place during the time of year that they rise, sometimes dating back to the time of early Colonials settling in America. September’s full moon is no exception — it’s known as the Harvest Moon because it usually rises when summer crops are ready to be harvested. This nickname can be traced back to a time before electricity when farmers used the moonlight to continue harvesting crops well past sunset.
Other names for September’s full moon include the Corn Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Rutting Moon, Leaves Turning Moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Get your telescopes ready (although you probably won’t even need them), because the Harvest Moon will rise on Friday, September 9, glowing into the early hours of Saturday, September 10, and it will not be alone in the sky.
The full moon will appear directly between Saturn and Jupiter throughout the entire night in the southern sky. The following night, the moon will shift away from Saturn and will appear extremely close to Jupiter.
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