SHINE ON HARVEST MOON

JAMES:
WELCOME TO

STAR GAZERS.

I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA
PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.

DEAN:
AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI

OBSERVATORY.

WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND
THE SKY.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH IS THE OFFICIAL NIGHT
OF THE HARVEST MOON.

JAMES:
THATS RIGHT DEAN,

FALL IS COMING AND
ITS TIME TO HARVEST THE CROPS.

TRADITIONALLY,
THE HARVEST MOON REALLY HELPED FARMERS A LOT

SINCE IT LIGHTS UP THE ENTIRE NIGHT.

IT RISES AS THE SUN SETS, RIDES HIGH ACROSS
THE SKY MOST OF THE NIGHT, AND SET AS DAWN

BREAKS.

DEAN:
SO, WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW ITS PATH ALL NIGHT

AND CHECK OUT THE SKY IN EARLY EVENING,
AFTER MIDNIGHT,

AND JUST BEFORE DAWN.

PLUS WE'LL DELVE INTO THE WHY THE MOON LOOKS
BIGGER WHEN ITS NEAR THE HORIZON.

LETS SHOW YOU!

JAMES:
OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET FOR JUST AFTER SUNSET

ON THE NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER 24
FACING EAST.

THE HARVEST MOON IS JUST RISING ABOVE THE
HORIZON.

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK US IF THE HARVEST MOON IS
BIGGER THAN OTHER MOONS

DEAN:
SOMETIMES, BUT NOT ALWAYS.

THE MOON CHANGES ITS DISTANCE FROM US,
AND WHEN IT IS CLOSER TO US, LIKE 2015'S HARVEST

MOON,
WE GET TO SEE A

BOTH:
SUPERMOON!

DEAN:
THIS SEPTEMBER,

IT WILL NOT APPEAR ESPECIALLY LARGE.

THE NEXT SUPERMOON ISN'T UNTIL NEXT FEBURARY.

JAMES:
ANOTHER QUESTION WE GET A LOT IS,

"WHY DOES THE MOON LOOK ORANGE WHEN ITS LOW
IN THE SKY

LIKE THIS?"

IN ORDER TO REACH
YOUR EYES,

THE LIGHT OF THE MOON HAS TO PASS THROUGH
MORE OF THE EARTHS ATMOSPHERE.

THAT EXTRA AIRS SHIFTS THE COLOR YOU SEE TOWARDS
THE RED,

JUST AS IT DOES TO THE SUN AT SUNSET.

DEAN:
NOW WE HAVE OUR SKY SET TO AROUND 1AM,

AND I'M GLAD
I STAYED UP LATE!

WHEN YOU FACE EAST, YOU GET A PREVIEW OF THE
STARS OF FALL.

LIKE THE V-SHAPED FACE OF TAURUS THE BULL
AND JUST ABOVE IT,

THE PLEIADES STAR CLUSTER, ALSO KNOWN AS THE
SEVEN SISTERS.

JAMES:
BUT AT THIS LATE HOUR, THE HARVEST MOON IS

SO HIGH IN THE SKY, WE BETTER FLY UP THERE!

JAMES:
AT THIS POINT,

ITS ACTUALLY THE MORNING OF
SEPTEMBER 25.

ON SEPTEMBER 24TH

AND SEPTEMBER 26TH, THE MOON WILL BE
ALMOST FULL.

SO FOR SEVERAL NIGHTS IN A ROW,
THIS LUNAR BEACON

WILL SHINE DOWN ON YOUR FIELDS AND GIVE YOU
ENOUGH LIGHT

TO WORK BY.

DEAN:
NOW THAT THE MOON IS HIGH IN THE SKY,

THE REDDISH TINT
IS GONE.

THROUGH A TELESCOPE LIKE THIS VIEW,
THE MOON IS SO BRIGHT THAT ITS HARD TO SEE

FINE DETAILS.

YOU CAN SEE THE DARK AREAS, CALLED MARIA,
AND RAYS EXTENDING FROM THE LARGER CRATERS,

BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE FULL MOON
THROUGH A TELESCOPE, ID RECOMMEND WEARING

SUNGLASSES.

IT IS BRIGHT!

JAMES:
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.

ITS NOW 6 AM AND
WE'RE FACING WEST AS THE HARVEST MOON IS SINKING

LOWER
IN THE SKY.

AS WE MOVE FORWARD
TO 6:30AM, AND 7AM,

THE MOON BEGINS TO TURN ORANGE AGAIN - JUST
AS IT DID WHEN IT ROSE HALF A DAY AGO.

DEAN:
AND BY 7:30,

THE SUN WILL HAVE RISEN IN THE EAST AS THE
MOON SETS IN THE WEST.

SO DURING A
HARVEST MOON,

YOU EXPERIENCE
12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT FROM THE SUN AND

12 HOURS OF MOONLIGHT FROM THE MOON.

JAMES:
NOW WHY DOES THE MOON OFTEN LOOK LARGER WHEN

ITS NEAR THE HORIZON?

DEAN:
I KNOW.

I SEE THIS MOON ILLUSION ALL THE TIME!

JAMES:
AND IT IS AN ILLUSION.

THE MOON ISNT ACTUALLY BIGGER,
AND YOU CAN PROVE IT.

DEAN:
SIMPLY TAKE A DIME,

HOLD IT AT ARM'S LENGTH
WHEN THE HARVEST MOON IS CLOSE TO THE HORIZON,

AND AGAIN LATER WHEN IT'S AT ITS
HIGH-EST POINT.

YOU WILL SEE THAT YOUR DIME WILL COVER EXACTLY
THE SAME AMOUNT OF THE MOON.

JAMES:
BUT AN EVEN MORE FUN WAY TO PROVE THIS ILLUSION

IS TO BEND OVER AT THE WAIST AND WATCH THE
RISING HARVEST MOON UPSIDE DOWN BETWEEN YOUR

LEGS.

BECAUSE, BINGO,
IT WILL INSTANTLY LOOK SMALLER THAN WHEN YOU

LOOK AT IT RIGHT SIDE UP.

DEAN:
BE SURE TO TRY THIS WHEN NO ONES LOOKING!

JAMES:
SO LOOK FOR THE HARVEST MOON RISING ON THE

NIGHT ON
SEP-TEMBER 24.

DEAN:
THEN STAY UP LATE TO WATCH IT LIGHT UP THE

SEPTEMBER NIGHT.

JAMES:
OR GET UP REALLY EARLY TO SEE IT SET,

AS THE SUN RISES.

BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!