The full moon will rise in the southeast just after sunset tonight, Monday, September 20 — just two days before the fall equinox.
This full Moon reaches peak illumination at 7:54 p.m. tonight.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, “While September’s full Moon is usually known as the Harvest Moon, if October’s full Moon happens to occur closer to the equinox than September’s, it takes on the name “Harvest Moon” instead. In this case, September’s full Moon is referred to as the Corn Moon.”
This time of year—late summer into early fall—corresponds with the time of harvesting corn in much of the northern United States. For this reason, a number of Native American peoples traditionally used some variation of the name “Corn Moon” to refer to the Moon.
Other Moon names for this month highlight how September is the transitional period between summer and fall:
Autumn Moon; Falling Leaves Moon; Leaves Turning Moon; Moon of Brown Leaves; and Yellow Leaf Moon.
