Take a look up to the heavens and you’ll see the last supermoon of the year light up the sky over Beaufort, SC later this week.
The moon will officially turn full on Friday (September 29th) at 5:57am. This one marks the end of a series of supermoons that have graced us through the summer into the start of fall. This summer series of supermoon events began on July 3rd with a Full Buck Moon. It continued through August with two supermoons, a Sturgeon Moon on August 1st and a Blue Moon on August. 30th.
We won’t get to see these for awhile, as it’s the last supermoon until September 2024.
September’s full moon is usually referred to as a Corn Moon, but not this year. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, September is traditionally when corn is harvested so the term Full Corn Moon is a name for a full moon in that month. Harvest Moon is a common term for the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox, which was on September 23rd. Most years that happens in September, except every three years it is in October. So, not every Full Corn Moon is a Harvest Moon. Between 1970 and 2050, for instance, there are 18 years when the Harvest Moon comes in October. The last time was in 2020 and next time will be in 2025.
What sets the Harvest Full Moon apart from other full moons is that farmers, at the height of the harvest season, can work late into the night because the moon’s light becomes so bright and it also rises about the time the sun sets, offering the maximum time for their harvesting work to be done.
Supermoons by definition happen “when a full moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point known as perigee,” according to NASA.
“During every 27-day orbit around Earth, the Moon reaches both its perigee, about 226,000 miles (363,300 km) from Earth, and its farthest point, or apogee, about 251,000 miles (405,500 km) from Earth.”
Supermoons in general appear 17% bigger and 30% brighter than when the moon is at its farthest point away from Earth, according to NASA. Supermoons are slightly bigger and brighter than most full moons, too. Just because it’s bigger and brighter doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll see it unaided, so binoculars may give you a better view.
Over these next several evenings, step outside and enjoy the view with the supermoon brightly illuminating our early autumn evening sky.
Enjoy the view, Beaufort, SC!
