The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox, or the official start of fall. It appears from September 28 to 30 and will appear full for about three days around this time, from Thursday through Saturday. The Harvest Moon is so named because, long before electricity, farmers would take advantage of this bright moonlight when it was time to harvest. The extra light extended the evening working hours, hence why its called a Harvest Moon. The date of the Harvest Moon varies from year to year, but it usually occurs in September in the Northern Hemisphere and every so often, it falls in October. The Harvest Moon may also be called a Corn Moon, Barley Moon, or Wine Moon (all names for Septembers full moon), or the Singing Moon or Elk Call Moon. The light of the Harvest Moon enables farmers to work late into the night and harvest their crops. The angle of the Moon’s orbit relative to Earth’s horizon is at its minimum, causing the full moon to rise above the horizon much faster than usual. Since the difference of the moon’s rising time on successive nights barely varies, the moon appears to rise at nearly the same hour for several nights in succession. Because the Harvest Moon, like any full moon, must rise near the hour of sunset, harvest workers in the Northern Hemisphere may be aided by bright moonlight after sunset on several successive evenings.