Harvest Moon 2021: When to see the moon, the last full moon before autumnal equinox

Say goodbye to summer with a salute to Monday night’s “harvest moon,” the last full moon before the Northern Hemisphere’s autumnal equinox on Wednesday, Sept. 22.

When is the harvest moon?

The Americas can hope to see a full moon by Monday afternoon and evening through Tuesday morning — as Europe, Asia, Australia and a large portion of Africa enter their afternoon and evening hours on Sept. 21, which is their second to see it.

That implies the full moon has as of now ascended for the Western-most US time zones, and by precisely 7:55 p.m. for the East Coast, as indicated by NASA.

What does ‘harvest moon’ mean?

September’s full moon concurs with the traditional harvest season of North America and Europe, which lit the way for laborers who worked through dull hours to pull crops. As the sun momentarily squares with the equator on the pre-winter equinox, prior to moving concentration toward the Southern Hemisphere, the time among twilight and moonrise is abbreviated. That implied old ranchers could keep their workdays going into the night immediately.

What is the autumnal equinox?

The Northern Hemisphere enters fall as the Earth slants to point toward the sun from the opposite side of the equator — set apart by less long stretches of light. Simultaneously, our Southern partner introductions to spring, called the vernal equinox, which means they’ll receive the majority of the sun’s rewards for the following a half year.

The fall equinox offers way to the colder time of year solstice — on Dec. 21 for the Northern Hemisphere — when the Earth’s pole arrives at its farthest slant away from the sun.

What does Neil Young have to do with the harvest moon?

The Canadian singer-songwriter composed ostensibly one of the best love tunes ever, called “Harvest Moon,” for his 1992 record by a similar name. In case you’re in for a decent cry, look at the remarks part of the YouTube video for the tune — a record of countless tributes for lost loves by social media users.