The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter’s cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter’s four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.
Tonight, imagine you’re Galileo, 400 years in our past. The telescope is a fairly new invention, and you’re the first person to think of pointing it at the sky. What’s this? Little dots around Jupiter? And each night, they move around like …. MOONS?!?
Since this is the third of four full moons in this season, it is known as a blue moon. This rare calendar event only happens once every few years, giving rise to the term, “once in a blue moon.” There are normally only three full moons in each season of the year. But since full moons occur every 29.53 days, occasionally a season will contain 4 full moons. The extra full moon of the season is known as a blue moon. Blue moons occur on average once every 2.7 years.
In the northern hemisphere, this full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Sturgeon Moon because the large sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes and other major lakes were more easily caught at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon.
In the southern hemisphere, we might call this the Full Kangaroo Moon. Kangaroos and wallabies have their joeys emerging from their safe and warm pouches as they start exploring their environment. They become a little more independent. This full moon could also be called The Full Growing Moon.
http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2021.html
Neptune is the only (official) planet that reamains hidden without the assistance of technology. Tonight is your best chance to catch a glimpse of Neptune at its brightest, when the Earth is exactly in between the sun and Neptune.
Get out your most powerful pair of binoculars, and consider pouring a stiff drink to steady your hands. Use a stargazing app on your phone to find the planet, or look for the constellation of Aquarius and then lower your gaze slightly to the star Phi Aquarii which will Neptune’s neighbor tonight.
In the northern hemisphere, this full moon was known by Native American tribes as the Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.
In the southern hemisphere, let’s call this the Full Fish Moon. This is the pre-monsoon season and the humidity is on the rise. That makes for good fishing weather, so the anglers say. It’s also the pre-breeding season for most southern hemisphere fish and many are on the run to their ancestral breeding grounds. Also known as The Full Worm Moon, when fishermen gather their bait for the fishing season. Some regions might name this moon after their local fish, such as The Full Barramundi Moon.
The Sun will beam down directly on the equator giving us just about equal amounts of day and night in most parts of the world. North of the equator, this is your Autumnal Equinox. If you live south of the equator, this is your Spring Equinox.
Also, try balancing an egg on its end! Whether or not you succeed has nothing to do with the Equinox, but it’s still a fun game to try on any day of the year. 🙂
This is of particular interest to astrologically minded folks. See URL for more info…