Dear Tom,
When will this year’s Harvest Moon occur?
Tami Olsen, Northbrook
Dear Tami,
This year the Harvest Moon, defined as the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox, will occur on Sept. 28, within a week of the official start of astronomical autumn on Sept. 22.
In the past, when farmers were not able to artificially illuminate their fields, the strong early evening moonlight provided by the Harvest Moon allowed for a continuation of field work until well after sunset. During most of the year, the time of moonrise advances about 50 minutes each day, but around the autumnal equinox, the daily change is only 20 to 30 minutes, which allows for several consecutive brightly moonlit evenings. On Sept. 28, Chicago’s Harvest Moon will rise just before 7 p.m., less than 20 minutes after sunset.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
