Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon

September 18, 2013  |  Harvest Moon Midwest
Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is tonight - so what do you know about the Harvest Moon? The full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox, which is September 22 of this year, is called the Harvest Moon. The "Harvest Moon" and "Hunter's Moon" are traditional terms for the full moons that occur in autumn, usually in September and October.

The Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon are unique because the time difference between moonrises on successivce evenings is much shorter than average. The Moon rises approximately 30 minutes later from one night to the next. This means that there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for several days following the actual date of the full moon. This Moon is not just the full Moon that occurs at the time of the harvest. It is the full Moon that helps by providing more light for crop harvesting. Before electric lights, farmers depended on bright moonlight to extend the workday beyond sunset. This way they could gather their ripening crops in time for market.

Here is a list of the names of the Full Moons for each month:

  • January - "Wolf Moon," also "Old Moon"
  • February - "Snow Moon," also "Hunger Moon"
  • March - "Worm Moon," "Crow Moon," "Sap Moon," "Lenten Moon"
  • April - "Seed Moon," "Pink Moon," "Sprouting Grass Moon," "Egg Moon", "Fish Moon"
  • May - "Milk Moon," "Flower Moon," "Corn Planting Moon"
  • June - "Mead Moon," "Strawberry Moon," "Rose Moon," "Thunder Moon"
  • July - ""Hay Moon," "Buck Moon," "Thunder Moon"
  • August - "Corn Moon," "Sturgeon Moon," "Red Moon," "Green Corn Moon," "Grain Moon"
  • September - "Harvest Moon," "Full Corn Moon"
  • October - "Hunter's Moon," "Blood Moon," "Sanguine Moon"
  • November - "Beaver Moon," "Frosty Moon"
  • December - "Oak Moon," "Cold Moon," "Long Nights Moon"