This full moon is the last in a string of four supermoons that began with the full Buck Moon on July 3. A full moon becomes a supermoon when it reaches peak fullness roughly at the same time it approaches its closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit. This can cause the moon to appear noticeably brighter; it can also look quite large if you happen to catch it rising along the horizon.

The Harvest Moon was historically significant for humans. Traditionally the full moon that falls nearest to the autumnal equinox, such as this one, is called the Harvest Moon. According to NASA, the name dates to the pre-electricity era when farmers depended on the moon’s light to harvest their crops late into the night, which was especially important in the fall, when harvests were the largest

For several days this moon will rise around the same time. The Old Farmer’s Almanac says that unlike other full moons, this full moon rises at nearly the same time — around sunset — for several evenings in a row, giving skywatchers plenty of chances to catch its beauty.

There are other names for this moon. Moon names traditionally applied to the moon’s entire 28-day cycle, not just the full moon itself. According to Northern Michigan University’s Center for Native American Studies, this moon cycle for some Anishinaabeg people in the Great Lakes region is known as Wabaabagaa Giizis (Wa-bah-ba-gah Gee-zehs), the Changing Leaves Moon.

Additional names for this moon cycle that come from Native American sources include variations on the name Corn Moon, as this is the season of corn harvest, as well as Autumn Moon (Cree), Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe), Moon of Brown Leaves (Lakota) and Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine), according to the Farmers Almanac.

The next full moon will be the Hunter’s Moon, occuring on Saturday, October 28.

Source: MI online.