The Harvest Moon falls at the very end of summertime this year, here's when to see it light up the night sky.

What's a Supermoon?

There's a lot of talk about full moons, but when full moons are supermoons, there seems to be even more chatter surrounding this celestial event. So before we dive into the Harvest Moon, let's first find out what makes a full moon a supermoon.

According to the Natural History Museum, a supermoon is a full moon that appears bigger and brighter than normal full moons.  It's because a supermoon happens when the moon is at the closest point to Earth during its orbit.

Supermoons aren't uncommon, and we typically see 3-4 a year, but that doesn't mean they still aren't really neat to look up for!

A full Moon occurs once in each lunar cycle, which lasts 29.5 days. But not every full Moon is a supermoon - there are only usually three or four supermoons in a year. Between 2020 and 2025, there will be four each year.

During a supermoon, the Moon is at a stage where it is closest to Earth. (National History Museum)

This year's Harvest Moon is also a supermoon, the second of 4 this year!

The Final Full Moon of Summertime

The final full moon of the summer season this year will be September's Harvest moon. I always thought that the Harvest Moon was the first full moon of fall, but that's not actually the case.  September's full moon is the Harvest Supermoon this year, and you'll be able to see it light up the night sky on Tuesday, September 17th.

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What is the Harvest Moon?

The Harvest Moon is the name for the full moon that arrives closest to the autumn equinox.  Usually, the Harvest Moon occurs in September but occasionally it will occur as late as October.  This year the Harvest Moon happens in September which is not uncommon at all, but it will occur before the autumnal equinox.  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.

I Thought September was the Corn Moon?

Have you heard of the full Corn Moon?  Well the reason that the full moon in September is sometimes called the Corn Moon, has to do with when the Harvest Moon falls.

The Farmer's Almanac explains:

on the name “Harvest Moon.” Unlike other full Moons, this full Moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive. Read more about the Harvest Moon!

While September’s full Moon is usually known as the Harvest Moon, if October’s full Moon happens to occur closer to the equinox than September’s, it takes on the name “Harvest Moon” instead. In this case, September’s full Moon is referred to as the Corn Moon.

Isn't the moon fascinating?