Harvest Moon - 2019 SEP 13-14

[CentaurZ]

The 2019 Harvest Moon will be in the sky throughout the night of September 13-14. This is the annual Full Moon that traditionally occurs nearest to the time of the Autumnal Equinox, which this year will be reached early on September 23.

The Harvest Moon provides extra lighting that allows farmers additional time to harvest crops after sunset. It is particularly beneficial for several evenings around the date of Full Moon at this time of year, since north of the tropics the separation between daily rising times is significantly less than the average of 24 hours and 50 minutes. So farmers can take advantage of a bright Moon for several successive evenings.

Unfortunately, this year the Harvest Moon will occur near Apogee when it is furthest from the Earth, and its apparent angular diameter is narrowest. However, the swings are not that large, and most people do not sense the different apparent sizes among Full Moons.

Of greater importance, on average a Full Moon is 12 times brighter than a Half Moon (Dichotomy – near Quadrature-Quarter cusp). This is due to lack of visible shadowing from mountains, craters, rocks and particles at the time of Full Moon, when the Sun is in the opposite direction.

Photos and descriptions of the Harvest Moon would be welcome additions to my similar thread in the Observing-Lunar forum.