Harvest Moon – Joan Hall

Hey, everyone. It’s time for the ninth in a series of posts about the names of full moons. If you missed the other posts of this series, you can click the following links.

This year’s September full moon is the Harvest Moon. I say this year because the Harvest Moon sometimes occurs in October. Want to know why? Read on.

Interesting Facts

The Harvest Moon is the name given to the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. Most years it falls in September, but every three years happens in October. When the Harvest Moon occurs in October, the September moon is usually known as the Corn Moon because it’s the time to harvest corn.
The full moon is the brightest object in the night sky. It has an apparent magnitude (the measure of a space object´s brightness as seen by an observer on Earth) of -12.74 compared with the sun’s magnitude of -26.74.
Folk-Rock singer Neil Young wrote and recorded a song titled “Harvest Moon.” If you’re interested in the video, click here.
The September moon is sometimes called “The Leaves Turning Moon.”
The Harvest Moon is today, September 20.
This year’s autumn equinox is September 22

Superstition

The full moon has been thought to cause insanity and even more famously, lycanthropy. One of the most popular beliefs was that a man or woman could turn into a werewolf if he or she, on a certain Wednesday or Friday, slept outside on a summer night with the full moon shining directly on his or her face.

Do you have a favorite song about the moon? Please share in the comments.

Hey, everyone. It’s the first of October, which is my favorite month of the year.

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

I’ve been on vacation this week. For the first time in several years, we’re having fall-like weather. Lows in the fifties, highs in the mid-seventies to low-eighties. Yesterday, I took advantage of the temps to sit on my porch for a while.

Leaves are still mostly green, but a little color starting to show.

Look at those crystal clear skies. And speaking of that, tonight is the Full Harvest Moon. Here’s a shot I took of a full moon in 2013. This was actually in November.

Yes, I have a fascination with full moons. You couldn’t tell it by my blog header, could you? This year, October treats us to a second one on the 31st. It’s known as a blue moon.

In yesterday’s WIP Wednesday post, I shared the playlist for my upcoming short story, House of Sorrow. It’s the prequel to the first Legends of Madeira book, Cold Dark Night. I won’t tell you a lot, but let’s say full moons play into that story.

Although I haven’t written a lot of new words this week, it’s been productive. I’ve edited, designed a book cover, and written the first draft of the dreaded book blurb.

What’s your week been like? Drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.