The full moon closest to the autumn equinox is known as the Harvest Moon. This year’s harvest Moon will take place on Saturday 29th September

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The Harvest Moon often appears closer, brighter or deeper in colour than other full moons. This is because there is a much shorter time between sunset and moonrise. Over the following nights, the length of time between sunset and moon rise will be much shorter than at other times of year; moonrise will occur around half an hour after sunset, instead of the usual 50 minutes.

The phenomenon, coinciding as it does with the Northern hemisphere’s traditional harvest period, was said to help farmers toiling to bring in their crops work later into the night, allowing them to continue even after the sun had set, hence the name Harvest Moon.  

This year, meteorologists have said that for most of the UK visibility will be good earlier on in the night, but cloudy conditions are expected as the night progresses. In the North and Scotland, clouds will thicken earlier than elsewhere, though cloudy conditions early on in the South East should give way to a clearer night sky.