One of the year’s most famous full moons will rise in the eastern sky on Saturday, September 26. This year’s Harvest Moon will appear with Saturn shining nearby, and sky watchers will also have a chance to see the full Moon rise on Sunday, September 27.

When is the Harvest Moon full?

The full Moon will officially occur on Saturday at 12:49 p.m. EDT. It will be best viewed as it rises in the eastern sky later that day. Check the moonrise time for your location. The Moon will appear in the constellation Pisces.

This month’s full Moon is nicknamed the Harvest Moon because it is the full Moon closest to the September equinox on Tuesday, September 22. According to reports, it also coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, sometimes called the Moon Festival, which is celebrated on Harvest Moon Day in Chinese and Vietnamese communities.

Why is it called the Harvest Moon?

The Harvest Moon’s significance goes beyond its traditional nickname. The Moon typically rises about 50 minutes later each day. However, around the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, the Moon’s path crosses the eastern horizon at a relatively shallow angle.

This geometry reduces the change in moonrise time from one day to the next. As a result, bright moonlight arrives shortly after sunset for several evenings in a row. Before electric lighting and modern agricultural machinery, those bright evenings provided extra light for the fall harvest.

Although modern farming no longer depends on moonlight in the same way, sky watchers can still enjoy multiple nights when the entire lunar disk appears above the eastern horizon against a still-twilight sky. Across North America, the Moon will rise on Sunday, September 27, only about 25 minutes later than it does on the previous night.

How to see Saturn near the Harvest Moon

Saturn provides another reason to look up. The ringed planet will appear near the Harvest Moon, rising directly below it as seen from North America. Saturn is bright enough to see without a telescope.

A backyard telescope or binoculars for stargazing can provide a clearer view of both Saturn and the Moon. For the best chance of seeing the Moon rise, choose a viewing location with an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon.

When is the next full Moon?

The next full Moon, known as the Hunter’s Moon, will occur on Friday, October 25, or Saturday, October 26, depending on your time zone. It will also be a supermoon, meaning it will appear larger and brighter than an average full Moon.

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