Get ready for Friday the 13th harvest moon in Arizona’s skies

One of the most amazing and romantic full moons of the year will grace our Arizona skies this week.

Get ready for the harvest moon Friday evening.

A harvest moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox (Sept. 23), rising just after sunset. The date of the Harvest Moon varies each year and can occur as late as early October.

Historically, the harvest moon marked a time when farmers could spend extra time in the fields, harvesting crops under the light of a full moon.

For us here in Arizona, look for the full harvest moon, rising just 10 degrees to the right of due east, at 6:49 p.m. Friday.

The sun will set at 6:37 p.m., creating an amazing twilight scene with the rising moon!

This is a great time to set up your camera or telescope and capture the disc of the moon cutting its way above the horizon.

The moon will look like a large pumpkin the eastern sky, creating a most memorable experience!

Here are some examples of a Harvest Moon:

Listen to Neil Young when you are looking at the harvest moon:

On average, the moon rises some 50 minutes later each night, but that changes around the time of the autumnal equinox. At this time, the moon rises only 20 minutes or so after sunset.

This will be a very unique moon indeed, as this harvest moon will be the first full moon in 13 years on a Friday the 13th along with being the smallest full moon of 2019.

Here is a great link to learning how to photograph the moon.

To print your own monthly star chart, click here.

To view satellites/dates/times of passage, click here.

Listen to the Dr. Sky Show on KTAR News 92.3 FM every Saturday morning at 3 a.m.