Harvest moon to fill Metro Vancouver sky
Posted September 24, 2018 11:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — You’ll want to turn your attention upward tonight.
A harvest moon is set to glow a reddish hue and will likely reappear tomorrow and Wednesday.
That red tone is caused by the sun reflecting on the moon’s surface, and atmospheric particles scattering light into the red end of the spectrum, explains David Dodge, an astronomer retired from the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver.
“It’s simply the light of the sun reflecting off the surface of the moon,” says Dodge.
“We’ve got about three days where the moon appears to be about the same shape. After three days you’ll see a definite change in the shape because of the moon’s procession around the earth.”
Dodge explains there’s a lot of history behind the harvest moon.
“This moon, rising after the equinox, allowed a few more hours of working light in the fields,” says Dodge of the phenomenon’s name.
Dodge says for the best view, make sure you’re looking at the eastern sky, adding Queen Elizabeth Park and some of Vancouver’s beaches are good spots.
“You want to have a nice, good view of the eastern sky. You don’t want to be in the bottom of a valley,” he says.
If you miss this moon, the “hunter’s moon” is up next, which Dodge says are also easy to observe, but may not be as “romantic.”
