Harvest Moon to coincide with Friday the 13th for the first time in nearly 20 years

At night today which is 13 September viewers can witness the ‘Harvest Moon’ which happens to the first time in 20 years that the full moon has coincided with Friday the 13th. [caption id=“attachment_6109321” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The Moon.[/caption]

What is the Harvest Moon?

A Harvest Moon happens to be the full moon nearest the start of autumn when the length of day and night is the same.  The reason why it is called a Harvest Moon is that it creates a bright moonlight early in the evening which has been traditionally associated as an aide to farmers with the harvesting of their summer-grown crops. The next full moon after the Harvest Moon is the Hunters Moon which will take place on October 13.

When to watch the Harvest Moon?

In the US, the Harvest Moon will be reaching its peak on September 14 at 12:33 am for those on the Eastern side while the west coast will see it at 9.33 pm. Viewers in India will not be able to view the Harvest moon today but will get a glimpse tomorrow. The spooky element in this year’s Harvest Moon is that it will be happening on Friday the 13th which many consider an unlucky day. The Harvest Moon will also be about 14 percent smaller since the Full Moon is occurring when the moon is farthest away from the Earth.