Let’s hope for clear skies Saturday at sunset into Sunday night as people will want to see a favorite annual celestial event — a full harvest moon. The full harvest moon occurs at 12:49 a.m. EDT on Sunday, but you really want to watch the moon rise at sunset and enjoy the beautiful and bright color as explained in this video.

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The harvest moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox, which occurs on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Usually, the harvest moon is in September but last year it occurred in October and was a supermoon.

In days gone by, farmers used the light of the full moon to harvest their crops, and there is much folklore about the full harvest moon.

You can take pictures of the full harvest moon with your smartphone and/or camera. Take images and then adjust as necessary. It will be best to image the moon as it is rising in the East around sunset, as it begins to get dark, as the display of color and the moon illusion will be at their peak.

If you miss out Saturday, the next few days will be almost as good.

Be sure to check out the other sky delights of September in WTOP’s monthly Eyes to the Skies column, published on the first of every month.

Here’s to clear skies and great astropics in the D.C. area.

Follow my daily blog for the latest astronomy and space exploration news. You can email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com.

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