Sunday, October 5, 2008

Portrait of the Harvest Moon of September 15, 2008.



Harvest Moon on September 15, 2008, as seen and shot outside my house. Here is some information


The harvest moon is the moon at and about the period of fullness that is nearest to the autumnal equinox. - Dictionary.com


The Harvest moon is a legend in Norse mythology, it is said to be the most powerful of the Moons granting Loki's blessing for a strong harvest and plenty. The Harvest moon is often mistaken for the modern day Hunter's moon.
In the legend of the Harvest moon, it is said that all full moons have their own special characteristics based primarily on the whereabouts of the ecliptic in the sky at the time of year that these moons are visible. The full moons of September, October and November as seen from the northern hemisphere - which correspond to the full moons of March, April and May as seen from the southern hemisphere - are well known in the folklore of the sky. All full moons rise around the time of sunset. However, although in general the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, as it moves in orbit around Earth, the Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon are special, because around the time of these full moons, the time difference between moonrise on successive evenings is shorter than usual. In other words, the moon rises approximately 30 minutes later, from one night to the next, as seen from about 40 degrees N. or S. latitude, for several evenings around the full Hunter's or Harvest Moons. Thus there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise around the time following these full moons. In times past this feature of these autumn moons was said to help farmers working to bring in their crops (or, in the case of the Hunter's Moon, hunters tracking their prey). They could continue being productive by moonlight even after the sun had set. Hence the name Harvest (or Hunter's) Moon

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