Brilliant Harvest Moon, the last supermoon of 2023, wows stargazers around the world (photos)
Sep 30, 2023
The summer of 2023 has been a treat for full moon fans. Since July, we've seen four supermoons in a row, including the rare Super Blue Moon Moon of August and this weekend, the final supermoon of the year, the Harvest Moon of September, gave skywatchers the final lunar thrill of the season.
When the moon is at or near its perigee, the closest point in its orbit with Earth, it can appear as much as 30% brighter and 14% larger in the sky, though it's typically hard to spot for casual full moon observer. When this occurs, it's called a supermoon.
September's full moon on Sept. 29 is also known as the Harvest Moon, reflective of the start of harvest season in the Northern Hemisphere, and was the fourth in a series of supermoons that began in July (with two in August due to the Blue Moon).This year has been an especially fortunate year for supermoon lovers, with a yearlong wait ahead before one will rise again. The next supermoon won't occur until the next Harvest Moon in September 2024.
To capture the event for Space.com, I headed out to the roof a downtown parking garage. which offered the perfect vantage point to see the moon through some metal scaffolding on an adjacent roof in Bloomington, Indiana. But perhaps a more breathtaking view occurred later that evening from the bridge across Bloomington's Lake Monroe, where the moon graced the water with its reflection as it rose Friday night, sending shimmering ripples as nearby boats headed to the ports to dock for the night.
Though the supermoon's difference in size is not always apparent to someone prone to occasional glances at the moon, astute observers – especially those eyeing through binoculars or a telescope – can see the difference.
This week's full moon peaked at 5:57 a.m. EDT (0957 GMT) Friday, Sept. 29, according to In the Sky, and remained incredibly full and bright when it rose again Friday, through the night and into Saturday morning.
As the Harvest supermoon sailed across the September skies, photographers around the world took advantage of the added lighting, and shot some great photos for 2023's final supermoon.
https://www.space.com/harvest-moon-2023-last-supermoon-wows-skywatchers-photos