This Year's Harvest Moon Will Be Spectacular

This has been a banner year for moon-watchers, and there are four full moons still to go, including the last supermoon of the year. The harvest moon, the last of four supermoons in a row, will appear full Thursday evening and reach its peak around 6am ET on Friday, NPR reports, though it's likely to still be spectacular Friday night. The full moon closest to the September equinox has long been known as the harvest moon because its light allows farmers to work late into the night, Space.com notes.

Supermoons occur when the moon reaches its full phase when it's closest to Earth in its orbit, causing it to appear larger and brighter than normal. Last month, there was a rare "blue" supermoon, the second supermoon of a calendar month. Eric Mack at CNET has some tips on viewing the super harvest moon. He says it will be most colorful at moonrise Friday. He recommends going outside as the sun is starting to set. "Head outside and watch it set in the west and then flip around to watch the biggest moon anyone on Earth will see until next August," he writes. (More supermoon stories.)