Harvest Moon Brings A Rare Treat
By Naiwrita Sinha, Gaea News NetworkThursday, September 23, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO, (GaeaTimes.com) Last night the sky witnessed a rare phenomenon known as the “Harvest moon“. The moon on this occasion appears to be exceptionally big to sky gazers. The harvest moon occurs close to equinox but this time it happened exactly on the day of the autumn equinox. The last time such phenomenon was witnessed was in September 23, 1991. Jupiter had come very close to earth and could be seen on the same line as the full moon. The last time Jupiter came this close was about 47 years ago. Those who made use of binoculars could see Uranus as well which had also come closer to the planet but not close enough to be spotted with naked eyes. Three stars being together was a rare treat and it won’t happen again until 2029.
The name Harvest moon was given to this phenomenon as in the ancient times the farmers would use the rays of the moon to get in their crops, a trend which was later replaced by modern technology. It is also called the hunters moon. The autumn equinox marks the beginning of fall in the Northern hemisphere and Spring in the southern hemisphere. On this day, referred to as “Mabon” by some, the night and day are of equal length. The night continues to increase until the winter solstice on 21 December.
The Harvest moon is a wonderful phenomenon to witness as the moon appears to be exceptionally big. The reason for this optical illusion is not very clear. The occurrence of the event varied a little due to different time zones.
