Visit our corporate site. Here’s when and where to see the phenomenon this week: Try to look at a full Moon when it’s high in the sky and you will find it almost impossible to look at it for more than a few seconds; the glare is just too much. That light is filtered by a lot of air molecules that scatter most of the blue light, leaving mainly red light to reach the lunar surface. On This Day in Space: Nov. 11, 1966: Gemini 12 launches Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell into orbit, SpaceX's Starship SN8 prototype fires its engines for the 2nd time, NASA certifies SpaceX's Crew Dragon for astronaut flights, gives 'go' for Nov. 14 launch, NASA says Boeing's next Starliner test flight won't launch until 2021, President-elect Biden names 8-person NASA transition team. Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Occurring on the first October, also means that the Harvest moon will be the first of two full moons this month. In fact, the next time we will see a Harvest Moon in October will be in 2028. NY 10036. I'm an experienced science, technology and travel journalist and stargazer writing about exploring the night sky, solar and lunar eclipses, moon-gazing, astro-travel. What color is the Moon? “As the Moon gets higher in the sky, its coloration will fade to its normal greyish-white hue as you view it through less and less air,” said Teets. I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky. Try to find a location that has a clear eastern horizon to catch the Moon rising as the Sun is setting. You can see the Moon look orange whenever it’s close to the horizon, so at moonrise and moonset. If you see the 2020 Harvest Moon, let us know! Corn Moon 2020: When and where to see the bright orange full moon. During a “blood Moon”—the colloquial term for a total lunar eclipse, which occasionally occur during a full Moon—our satellite turns a pinkish-copper-reddish color for a few hours. In fact, the next time we will see a Harvest Moon in October will be in 2028. Some skywatchers may think that the Harvest Moon remains in the night sky longer than any of the other full moons we see during the year, but that's not the case. By Staff Writer Last Updated Apr 5, 2020 9:20:37 PM ET. Light with short wavelengths—such as blue—hit more particles and are more easily absorbed and scattered. The reason for this seasonal circumstance is that the moon appears to move along the ecliptic and at this time of year when rising, the ecliptic makes its smallest angle with respect to the horizon. Today our satellite will be “new,” getting between Earth … The Harvest Moon of 2020 rises tonight! In the western sky on the … The yellow, orange and red end of the spectrum therefore dominate the light that makes it to your eyes. “Because the Earth’s atmosphere is densest near its surface, objects seen close to the horizon have their blue light scattered—resulting in a reddish tone.”. The moon is seen over the church of San Giuseppe Falegname during the total lunar eclipse at the ... [+] Roman Forum on July 27, 2018 in Rome, Italy. Not 20 minutes after it has first been sighted on the horizon, the full Moon will be high in the sky, a definite white, and too bright to look at. If it seems a bit late to you, you're not alone. While the average occurrence of an October Harvest Moon is once every three years, sometimes as much as eight years can pass between such cases. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications. Usually this title goes to the September full moon. StockPhotosForFree.com/CC-BY-2.0. On that night it will be "escorted across the sky" by Mars, now shining with unaccustomed brilliance due to its unusual closeness to the Earth. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Tropical Storm Eta, Masters tees off, Diwali: 5 things to know Thursday, Johnson’s Senior Aide Quits Amid Tensions in U.K. Government. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications. The second full moon comes on Halloween (Oct. 31) and will be christened the "Blue Moon.". Send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com to share your views. A full moon shines over Virginia. That’s why the sky is blue. But why is it in October? When the full moon shines tonight (Oct. 1), it will mark the Harvest Moon of 2020. Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! Each year, the full moon that occurs nearest to the autumnal equinox and is thus christened the Harvest Moon. You may opt-out by. When the moon appears orange or yellow, it simply means that the observer is looking at it through more layers of atmosphere. The moon is yellow or reddish when it is close to the horizon for the same reason the sun is more red when it is close to the horizon. More importantly, at this time of year, instead of rising its normal average 50 minutes later each day, the moon appears to rise at nearly the same time each night. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! Each year, the full moon that occurs nearest to the autumnal equinox and is thus christened the Harvest Moon. When is the next full moon? I’m not referring to a “Blood Moon” total lunar eclipse, April’s “Pink Moon”—a mere name, not a descriptive name—or the terms “Blue Moon,” which refers to the rare occasions where there are two full Moons in the same month. What sets tonight's full moon apart from the others throughout the year is that farmers at the peak of the current harvest season can work late into the night by the brilliant moonlight. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of night sky picture and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.