The Reapers Moon lights up the Kingdom’s sky next Saturday

Weather of Arabia - The astronomer from the Wadi Rum / Umm Al-Dami Observatory, Imad Mujahid, said that the sky of Jordan and Arab countries is on a date with the harvesting moon next Saturday evening.

Mujahid added, on Monday, that the moon will rise from the northeastern side in the sky of Amman at sunset at 7:11 pm, and until it sets on the western horizon at 7:04 am, meaning that it shines for about 12 hours.

He explained that the phenomenon of the harvest moon occurs when it is full or full at a date close to the autumnal equinox, which falls on September 21 of each year, when it is high towards the north in the sky and brighter than the brightness of the full moon in other months, and it rises early relative to the date Moonrise in other months.

He pointed out that, on average, the moonrise is delayed by 50 minutes from the previous night, while in the case of the harvesters moon, it is delayed from the previous night by 30 to 35 minutes in areas located on the equator, and it also rises minutes before sunset.

During the past decades, peasants in Europe took advantage of this astronomical phenomenon and the brightness of the moon to work at night under the moonlight, as they were following the plowing of the land and scattering seeds and others at night in preparation for the current season and waiting for rain, and for this reason astronomers called the moon on this night the name of the harvesters moon.

Mujahid called on specialists and photography enthusiasts to take pictures of the moon as it rises on Friday evening; It will be beautiful and rarely large, especially in the Wadi Rum region with its towering and charming rocky mountains, and send it to international astronomy websites to publish it on its websites to promote the Kingdom's scientific and tourism promotion.

Important facts about the Reapers Moon:

• The Reapers Moon is the name given to the full moon, which is closest to the date of the autumnal equinox, or the official astronomical start of the autumn season, which is on September 22 of each year.
• The reapers’ moon is called by this name, because farmers in ancient times relied on the illumination of the moon to extend their working hours after sunset hours, so this moon came as a awaited and beloved sight to most people in ancient times.
• Seeing the phenomenon is not confined to a specific place in the world, but it can be seen from all parts of the earth, and in order to see and feel it fully, it is required that the atmosphere be clear of clouds, mist and dust.
• The reapers' moon rises earlier and sets later than the rest of the full moon phases during the year, so it provides additional lighting hours.
• In terms of appearance, the appearance of the moon will not differ for many people, as it will remain just a full moon, but it is more luminous.
• The size of the apparent moon changes in the sky every month, and the moon is in the largest possible apparent size at the time of the giant moon, and not in the reapers' moon this year.
• Sometimes the reapers' moon is the same as the giant moon, and this happened for the last time in 2010, while it will happen the next time in 2029, God willing.
• Sometimes astronomical circles call the full moon the blue moon, and this is an unreal description that is intended to refer to the appearance of the full moon for the second time in a single solar month.
• The Harvesters Moon is an opportunity for all lovers of nature, astronomical events and night photography, to take beautiful pictures under the moonlight at night.