Moonstruck
If you are awake at 3:20 A.M. EDT, you will see the moon slip into its full phase tonight.
At this time of year, a full moon is closely tied to seasonal events. The first full moon after the autumnal equinox is a harvest moon. For centuries, when the big orange orb rested near the horizon, farmers knew to begin reaping their crops. The second full moon after the equinox, which begins tonight, is called a "hunter's moon." The bright light of a hunter's moon can last for several nights, easing the work of nocturnal hunters. Charles Melville Dewey executed today's artwork, The Harvest Moon, in a tonalist style. His subtle palette and impressionistic brush strokes evoke the serenity of autumn twilight. Can you hear the leaves crunching beneath your feet?
Pictured: Charles Melville Dewey, 1849–1937, The Harvest Moon, about 1908, oil, 24 1/8 x 30 1/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans.
If you are awake at 3:20 A.M. EDT, you will see the moon slip into its full phase tonight.
At this time of year, a full moon is closely tied to seasonal events. The first full moon after the autumnal equinox is a harvest moon. For centuries, when the big orange orb rested near the horizon, farmers knew to begin reaping their crops. The second full moon after the equinox, which begins tonight, is called a "hunter's moon." The bright light of a hunter's moon can last for several nights, easing the work of nocturnal hunters. Charles Melville Dewey executed today's artwork, The Harvest Moon, in a tonalist style. His subtle palette and impressionistic brush strokes evoke the serenity of autumn twilight. Can you hear the leaves crunching beneath your feet?