A rare harvest moon
Autumn’s first harvest moon will rise tonight, a glowing reminder of the year attaining a fullness and the swiping sickle of time.
Starting at 10:11 p.m., we will be offered front-row seats to the heavenly unveiling of the “super blood moon.” It’s a rare event that combines a “super moon” – the moon at its closest to Earth – and a “blood moon” caused by total lunar eclipse. The big silver moon – appearing almost 15 percent larger than an ordinary full moon – will to turn red in our planet’s shadow. The last such event was 33 years ago, the next is 18 years away.
The American Indians referred to this full moon as the harvest or corn moon. More northern people called it “the moon of the falling leaf.” All along America’s East Coast this moon signals the schooling mullet are gathering in preparation for migration, justifying a title of “the moon of the jumping mullet.”
We are entering the season of falling leaves. It’s time to move on, discard the old and worn and make room for a future.
This story was originally published September 26, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "A rare harvest moon."