Saturn and a fainter Neptune join the view#
Saturn will not be visible until roughly 8 p.m. onward, according to Paul David Lynam, a resident astronomer at Lick Observatory, who told Yahoo Tech that looking east, the planet will appear as a bright light slightly below the moon. Gerald McKeegan, an astronomer at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, recommended checking around 9:30 p.m., once the night sky is fully dark, Yahoo Tech reports. One way to locate Saturn is to find the Great Square of Pegasus, four stars that should sit level with the moon, with Saturn just beneath it, per Lynam.tech.yahoo.com 1 source for this line, starting with Yahoo Tech
Saturn will reach opposition, when it sits directly opposite the sun from Earth, on October 4, making it appear at its largest and brightest for the year, CNN and the Independent both report. Neptune will also appear close to the moon this weekend but is far harder to spot, as NASA notes to CNN, since viewing it demands both optical aids like binoculars or a telescope along with clear, dark skies.cnn.com+1 2 sources for this line, starting with CNN
If clouds interfere with Saturday's view, the moon will still appear nearly full on Friday and Sunday evenings, CNN notes. In the UK, the moon reaches its fullest point at 17.49 local time on September 26, meaning it will be below the horizon for much of the UK at that exact moment, though it will remain large and full through the following evening, the Independent reports.cnn.com+1 2 sources for this line, starting with CNN
- tech.yahoo.comHarvest Moon, Saturn and Neptune will put on a show this weekend. Here's how best to see them(opens in a new tab)
- cnn.comHarvest Moon rises this weekend alongside Saturn, with Neptune a fainter target(opens in a new tab)
- independent.co.ukWhen to see September’s ‘Harvest Moon’ – and why this full moon is unusual(opens in a new tab)
Why it is called the Harvest Moon#
September's full moon takes the Harvest Moon name because it falls closest to the autumn equinox, which occurred this year on Tuesday, CNN reports. Farmers once used the moon's early, bright rising to keep working after sunset during the harvest, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac as cited by CNN. The moon is also called the corn moon; Indigenous groups such as the Abenaki people of the Northeastern United States call it the corn maker moon, and the Assiniboine know it as the yellow leaf moon, CNN reports.cnn.com 1 source for this line, starting with CNN
Because the moon rises so close to sunset in the days around the equinox, its rise times stay nearly the same on consecutive evenings rather than shifting by about 50 minutes a night as usual, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Low on the horizon, the moon can take on a warm orange or reddish tint from atmospheric scattering and can look unusually large next to nearby trees or buildings, an effect known as the Moon illusion, the magazine reports.skyatnightmagazine.com 1 source for this line, starting with BBC Sky at Night Magazine
