Skywatchers in Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones will get a view of the full moon tonight (Sept. 13) at 11:32 p.m., 10:32 p.m. and 9:32 p.m., respectively, while East Coasters will see the moon at its fullest at 12:32 a.m. on the 14th. Regardless of time zone, the moon will appear just a bit dimmer than usual (eerie!), because it will be at apogee, or its farthest distance from Earth.
That means that the moon will appear about 14% smaller and 30% dimmer than when it is at its closest point to Earth, which is known as perigee.
The moon's orbit around Earth is elliptical. Each month, as this natural satellite orbits the planet, it passes through one apogee and one perigee. Moons at perigee are known as "supermoons." The closest perigee of 2019 occurred on Feb. 19, when the moon traveled within 221,681 miles (356,761 kilometers) of Earth.
The farthest apogee of the year was also in February, on the 5th, when the moon was 252,622 miles (406,555 km) away. This month's apogee puts the moon 252,511 miles (406,377 km) away.
Realistically, the difference between a supermoon and a micromoon is hard to spot. "[It's] not enough to notice unless you're a very careful moon-watcher," Sky & Telescope magazine senior editor Alan MacRobert said in a 2016 statement. Indeed, the term "supermoon" appeared in the lexicon only in 1979, according to that statement, and it wasn't until a spate of three supermoons in 2016 that the term became popular.
The September full Moon is usually known as the Full Corn Moon because it traditionally corresponds with the time of harvesting corn.
It is also called the Barley Moon because this is the time to harvest and thresh ripened barley.
Some other traditional September Full Moon names used by Native Americans include:
“Moon When the Plums Are Scarlet” by the Lakota Sioux Native Americans. “Moon When the Deer Paw the Earth” by the Omaha Native Americans. “Moon When the Calves Grow Hair” by the Sioux Native Americans
Learn Native American Names: Soaproot (Pomo). Corn Moon (Pueblo). Harvest moon (Hopi). Singing Moon (Celtic). Leaf fall Moon (Kiowa). Ripe Moon (San Juan). Maize Moon (Natchez). Acorns Moon (Wishram). Rice Moon (Anishnaabe). Hay Cutting Moon (Yuchi). Mulberry Moon (Choctaw). Deer Paw Moon (Omaha). Snow Goose Moon (Cree). Freshness Moon (Mohawk). Harvest Moon (Neo-Pagan). Harvest (Colonial American). Little Chestnut Moon (Creek). Corn Maker Moon (Abernaki). Drying Grass Moon (Arapaho). Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine). Drying Grass Moon (Cheyenne). Autumn Moon (Passamaquoddy). Barley Moon (Mediaeval English). Calves Hair Growth Moon (Dakota). Yellow Leaf Moon(Taos Native American). Nut Moon, Black Butterfly Moon (Cherokee). Drying Grass Moon, Black Calve Moon, fScarlet Plum Moon (Sioux). Harvest Moon, Corn Moon, Barley Moon, Fruit Moon, Dying Grass Moon (Algonquin).
Other moon names : Wine moon, Blood Moon, Sturgeon Moon
That means that the moon will appear about 14% smaller and 30% dimmer than when it is at its closest point to Earth, which is known as perigee.
The moon's orbit around Earth is elliptical. Each month, as this natural satellite orbits the planet, it passes through one apogee and one perigee. Moons at perigee are known as "supermoons." The closest perigee of 2019 occurred on Feb. 19, when the moon traveled within 221,681 miles (356,761 kilometers) of Earth.
The farthest apogee of the year was also in February, on the 5th, when the moon was 252,622 miles (406,555 km) away. This month's apogee puts the moon 252,511 miles (406,377 km) away.
Realistically, the difference between a supermoon and a micromoon is hard to spot. "[It's] not enough to notice unless you're a very careful moon-watcher," Sky & Telescope magazine senior editor Alan MacRobert said in a 2016 statement. Indeed, the term "supermoon" appeared in the lexicon only in 1979, according to that statement, and it wasn't until a spate of three supermoons in 2016 that the term became popular.
The September full Moon is usually known as the Full Corn Moon because it traditionally corresponds with the time of harvesting corn.
It is also called the Barley Moon because this is the time to harvest and thresh ripened barley.
Some other traditional September Full Moon names used by Native Americans include:
“Moon When the Plums Are Scarlet” by the Lakota Sioux Native Americans. “Moon When the Deer Paw the Earth” by the Omaha Native Americans. “Moon When the Calves Grow Hair” by the Sioux Native Americans
Learn Native American Names: Soaproot (Pomo). Corn Moon (Pueblo). Harvest moon (Hopi). Singing Moon (Celtic). Leaf fall Moon (Kiowa). Ripe Moon (San Juan). Maize Moon (Natchez). Acorns Moon (Wishram). Rice Moon (Anishnaabe). Hay Cutting Moon (Yuchi). Mulberry Moon (Choctaw). Deer Paw Moon (Omaha). Snow Goose Moon (Cree). Freshness Moon (Mohawk). Harvest Moon (Neo-Pagan). Harvest (Colonial American). Little Chestnut Moon (Creek). Corn Maker Moon (Abernaki). Drying Grass Moon (Arapaho). Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine). Drying Grass Moon (Cheyenne). Autumn Moon (Passamaquoddy). Barley Moon (Mediaeval English). Calves Hair Growth Moon (Dakota). Yellow Leaf Moon(Taos Native American). Nut Moon, Black Butterfly Moon (Cherokee). Drying Grass Moon, Black Calve Moon, fScarlet Plum Moon (Sioux). Harvest Moon, Corn Moon, Barley Moon, Fruit Moon, Dying Grass Moon (Algonquin).
Other moon names : Wine moon, Blood Moon, Sturgeon Moon
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