The full moon that appears in September is called the Harvest Moon, although truthfully, the Harvest Moon does not always occur in September. Traditionally, the name goes to the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, which falls during October once or twice a decade.

 

Nonetheless, this is the most familiar named moon, September’s Harvest Moon refers to the time of year after the autumn equinox when crops were gathered by Native Americans. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice are the chief Native American staples that were ready for gathering. It also refers to the Harvest Moon’s particularly bright appearance and early rise, which lets farmers continue harvesting into the night. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe.