A Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, which takes place this year on Sept. 23. For the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox marks the beginning of fall, with shorter days and longer nights. The Southern Hemisphere experiences a vernal equinox, marking the beginning of spring and longer days.
The September supermoon is the last of 2014, and skywatchers can get a good look at the full moon, as it appears slightly larger and brighter, on Monday. The illusion is due to the moon's elliptical orbit as it reaches its closest distance to Earth, known as perigee. The August supermoon was considered the best of the summer trilogy as the moon turned full within the hour it reached perigee whereas the July and September full moons occurred on the same day as perigee...read more>>>...