HOUSTON — The September full moon is a very special one! That's because it is not just a full moon, but it is also a supermoon.
The moon will officially be full on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 9:35 p.m. CST. However, the moon will appear to be nearly full for about three nights, from Monday evening through Wednesday night.
This one is known as the "harvest moon" because its bright light would shine down late into the night while the early settlers worked on bringing in the September harvest. This would give farmers extra light to work deep into the night by moonlight.
The Algonquin Indian tribes called this the "corn moon" because this was when they gathered their crops of corn, squash and wild rice. Some other European names for this moon include the "Fruit Moon" as many fruits ripen at this time and the "Barley Moon" from the harvesting of barley.
It's a supermoon because the moon will be near its closest point to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. This means the moon will appear a little bigger and brighter than a normal full moon. Cool!
And if that weren't enough, this will also be a partial lunar eclipse. The eclipse will peak at 9:44 p.m. Tuesday with only the top 8% of the moon in shadow. This is not expected to be very dramatic, being such a small eclipse percentage. It may be tough to discern with the naked eye.
The best part is that skies are expected to be mostly clear at night this week. We should get some great viewing, enjoy!!