Harvest Moon rises globally alongside Saturn

The September Harvest Moon rose globally on Saturday, September 26, appearing near the planet Saturn in the night sky. The Harvest Moon is defined as the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, which occurred on September 23.

Observers noted the moon appearing with orange, yellow, or red hues near the horizon. This visual effect is caused by sunlight passing through more of Earth’s atmosphere, which scatters shorter blue wavelengths and allows longer red and orange wavelengths to reach the eye. Saturn appeared in close proximity to the moon, while the planet Neptune was also visible in the same region of the sky.

Because the Harvest Moon tends to rise near sunset on consecutive nights, additional viewing opportunities were available on Sunday, September 27.