Harvest Moon to light up Jordan’s sky next week

A harvest moon is expected to light up Jordan’s night sky next week, September 20, being full and bright as it occurs closest to the start of autumn, astronomer Emad Mjahed told Petra on Monday.

According to Mjahed, the full moon is scheduled to peak from the northeastern side of Amman's sky at sunset, and will be visible until sunset of the next day.

"On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. But when a full moon happens close to an autumn equinox, the moon rises closer to the time of sunset. For mid-temperate latitudes, it rises only about 25 to 30 minutes later daily for several days before and after the full Harvest moon" he added.

The full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Harvest Moon, because it took place during the time of year when corn was harvested, as farmers could continue their harvest late into the night by the light of the moon.