Mother Earth News 1994 by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub

Shine On, Harvest Moon

Nearly everyone has heard of Harvest Moon. But what exactly is it, and why is it a positive thing?

Some lore masters would argue that Harvest Moon is the first Full Moon after the autumn equinox. But the majority declare that Harvest Moon is the Full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox, and thus in 1994 happens on September 19. Astronomers would agree with the latter view. Why? Because they are interested in one characteristic, or behavior, of the moon that is exhibited more strongly the closer the Full Moon is to the autumn equinox. During that time, the moon rises at nearly the same time for a number of nights in a row. Actually, this “nearly the same time” is about 20 to 30 minutes later each night depending on what your latitude is in the contiguous United States. The remarkable thing is that during the course of the year the average amount by which the Full Moon rises later on a second night is more like one hour.

What practical good is it to have the Full Moon rise at almost the same time for several nights in a row? During these several nights, daylight and twilight are immediately replaced by bright moonlight-still bright enough for the farmer who doesn’t want to quit harvesting to see in front of him and continue his work.

Nowadays, of course, farmers and other folks can throw up artificial lights and harvest as late as they want. But humanity has been very sloppy and wasteful with outdoor artificial light (several billion dollars a year of it goes off uselessly into space from the United States due to poor lamp shielding).

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