It's a lucky year for gazing into the sky and seeing something spectacular. While we'll need to wait till 2024 for the next solar eclipse [1], if you look up on Oct. 5, you'll see the full moon come out earlier than usual after sunset. Called the harvest moon [2], it's an annual treat [3] that basks the Earth in a little extra light, giving us one last taste of Summer.
The harvest moon is the name given to the full moon that's closest to the Autumn equinox [4] on Sept. 22. Usually, the full moon falls close to the equinox in late September, but this year, it happened on Sept. 6 — hence the later date. Harvest moons tend to look bigger, brighter, and orange in color because they rise close to the horizon [5].
If you happen to miss the harvest moon's rise [7] at 2:40 p.m. ET on Oct. 5, keep your eyes peeled the next few nights after that. Because the moon rises almost right after sunset, you'll see it waning but still looking like a full moon [8]. While this year's harvest moon is not a supermoon like last year's, it's still a stunning sight to see to mark the beginning of Autumn.