September's last ‘Full Corn Moon’ marks end of summers, starts autumn equinox

On September 2, a ‘Full Corn Moon’ or ‘Full Harvest Moon’ will rise, marking beginning of autumn equix. September’s full Moon is also kwn as harvest moon, a term used by Latin Americans in context to corn harvest season. According to NASA, this full moon will be last of 2020, marking end to summers this year. Corn Moon will attain maximum brightness at 1:22 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. In India, it will rise at 9:38 am EDT on September 1 and set at 10:51 am on September 2. For East coast, it will lower below horizon at approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT. 

Autumn equix begins on September 22 or 23, and full moon falls early in month, with October hosting Harvest Moon. As per NASA’s release, September’s moon is “ Corn, Fruit, Barley, and Hungry Ghost Moon.” In a press release, NASA said that full moon would mark “ end of Onam, start of Pitri Paksha, Modhu Purnima, Binara Pura Pasalosvaka Poya, and Gaile, Ladee, and Osiris-rex moon”. Rising exactly "opposite" Sun, this moon will remain full for about three days. According to Maine Farmer's Almanac journal, Native Americans used different names for full moons in 1930s and y were published accordingly to differentiate type of full moon. Algonquin tribes in rastern USA called September moon as Corn moon as this was time y harvested ir main staple crops of corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice.

“This full Moon corresponds to Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival. seventh month of Chinese calendar is Ghost Month and fifteenth day of this month, a full moon day is called Ghost Day, on which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out to visit living,” NASA said in release.

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10-day celebration of Onam ends

“Hindus in Kerala, India, mark end of 10-day celebration of Onam, which began on August 22, 2020, with this full moon,” it added. “Full Moon also marks start of Pitri (or Pitru) Paksha (fortnight of ancestors) during which Hindus pay hom to ir ancestors, especially through food offerings. Pitri Paksha starts with full moon in lunar month of Bhadrapada and ends with new Moon,” NASA said. Furr, citing relevance of September moon in Thailand, NASA said, “For some Buddhists in Bangladesh and Thailand, this full Moon is Modhu Purnima, Honey Full Moon or Honey-offering Festival.” It added, “In Sri Lanka, this full Moon is Binara Pura Pasalosvaka Poya Day, commemorating establishment of Buddhist Bikkhuni Order.”

[ Corn Moon sets over early morning desert in Arches National Park, Utah in 2018. Credit: NASA/Bill Dunford]

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