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“Harvest Moon” will glow orange as it rises in the sky this Friday

In love with the stars who watched the moon rise just after sunset, this Friday (9), they will be able to see its peak at 4:59 am (Brasilia time) this Saturday (10), according to NASA.

This lunar event is called the harvest moon because it is close to the autumnal equinox (in the northern hemisphere), a time when farmers often harvest their crops, NASA said.

When the moon begins its rise in the sky it can look like a burnt orange hue. This is because there is a thicker layer of Earth’s atmosphere along the horizon compared to directly above our heads, according to EarthSky.

This atmosphere acts as a filter, turning the moon its mysterious color as it emerges above the horizon.

The full moon may also appear larger in the sky compared to other full moons, but your eyes are playing tricks on you.

Any full moon will appear larger along the horizon, so the location of the full moon near the horizon makes this optical illusion more noticeable, said EarthSky.

In 2022, September’s full moon is closer to the autumnal equinox (in the northern hemisphere), which falls on September 22, so it’s called the Harvest Moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. .

However, when the full moon in October is closer to the equinox, it is called the Harvest Moon, and the one in September is called the Corn Moon.

The earliest full moon rise time is in the Northern Hemisphere, near the autumnal equinox, when the moon’s orbit is closest to the eastern horizon, the Farmers’ Almanac said. The moon’s orbit moves about 12 degrees east each day, but because the September full moon is so close to the horizon, it rises earlier than usual, according to the almanac.

The moonlight lasts from dawn to dusk for a few nights in a row, which gives farmers light to continue working at night, EarthSky said.

In the Southern Hemisphere, this effect occurs around the spring equinox in March or April, according to EarthSky.

Three more full moons will occur this year:

  • October 9: Hunter’s Moon;
  • November 8: beaver moon;
  • December 7: cold moon.

Source: CNN Brasil

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