This Thursday the Northern Hemisphere will be graced with the presence of the majestic harvest moon, not to be outdone by Sunday's autumn equinox.
The harvest moon is traditionally the full moon closest to the September equinox, but it can also be defined as the full moon in October, as well as on or after the equinox, Space.com reported.
The full moon also puts thoughts of colored leaves and carving pumpkins in people's minds, but the event actually marks the last full moon of the summer this year. This summer was exceptional because it had four full moons, instead of the usual three.
The blue moon was another lunar event earlier this summer, which was the third "extra" moon this season.
An October harvest moon only pops up about once every four years, however in this case the last one was in 2009 and there won't be another October event until 2017.
The harvest moon does not remain in the night sky longer than usual, as some people believe.
"Instead of rising its normal average of 50 minutes later each day, it rises only a little later each night, providing farmers with extra moonlight to reap their crops," Space.com reported.
This Thursday one can easily view the dark patches on the large moon with binoculars, National Geographic reported.
The patches are "vast, ancient lava plains formed over billions of years ago when magma from the moon's interior spilled out onto the surface, triggered by giant asteroid impacts," National Geographic reported.
On Sept. 22 at exactly 4:44 p.m. ET the fall equinox (meaning equal night) will take place. The event marks the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere. The day and night will each be an equal 12 hours during this cycle.
The equinox in the spring and fall are the only times of the year when the Sun rises due East and sets due west, National Geographic reported.
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