The Last Full Moon of Summer Will be the Harvest Moon, Here’s When to See it
Every year we typically have twelve full moons, but some are a little more special than others. The Harvest Moon is always an exciting sight because it means cooler weather and Fall are here (or almost here). This year however our Harvest Moon will actually be falling during the summertime, but how can that be?
The Harvest Moon is the name for the full moon that arrives closes to the autumn equinox. Usually, the Harvest Moon occurs in September but occasionally it will occur as late as October. This year the moon will occur in September which is not uncommon at all, but it will actually occur before it's officially autumn. The Farmer's Almanac has a lot of really good information on the Harvest Moon, and why this time the Harvest Moon won't fall during, well fall.
If you want to look to the sky to see the Harvest Moon you can catch it on Monday September 20th, which if you look at a calendar the official start of fall is actually September 22nd, meaning this year's Harvest Moon will actually fall during what is technically still summer. Here's what the Farmer's Almanac has to say about the Harvest Moon and summertime this year:
Although we associate a Harvest Moon with autumn, this particular Harvest Moon occurs during the confines of the summer season. Traditionally, the Harvest Moon is the full Moon nearest the autumn equinox. And in 2021, the equinox arrives on Wednesday, September 22nd. So, this year’s Harvest Moon will be the last full Moon of the summer instead of the first full Moon of fall—yet it will be still closest to the equinox.
So you learn something new every day! Who knew the Harvest Moon could actually fall during summertime?