The Full Moon in September 2024 Features a Rare Triad of Celestial Events

Those who find themselves unable to sleep on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, may be in for a treat if they step outside at 10:44 p.m. EST. Experts say that's when the Earth's moon will be in her glory as three celestial events take place, creating a unique experience for all who see it.

Those living in North and South America will witness something truly special on Tuesday as the harvest moon coincides with a supermoon and a partial lunar eclipse. Keep reading to learn more about the exciting event, including how some people will mark the occasion.

According to a NASA expert who spoke with NPR, Tuesday's celestial show will be a rare one, as it's unusual for all of these different events to happen at once.

A supermoon happens a few times a year thanks to a change in the moon's proximity to Earth, which makes the satellite look much larger than it does during a traditional full moon.

The harvest moon, on the other hand, happens just once a year and it's the last full moon before the autumnal equinox, according to the Smithsonian magazine.

There really isn't anything too different about the appearance of the moon during this annual event, other than the fact that it appears over the course of several days, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

It's believed that the moon was given the timely moniker by America's Indigenous tribes, who took advantage of the extra hours of light so that they could wrap up their final harvest of the season before the cooler weather moved in for the remainder of the year.

This year's harvest moon is unique because it will also feature a partial lunar eclipse, which happens when the Earth passes between the moon and the sun, casting a shadow across a portion of the satellite's surface.

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is safe to look at with the naked eye, and those who live somewhere with clear skies will get a pretty nice view of the event.

In certain cultures, the harvest moon's arrival means a time of celebration. In certain Asian countries, that may mean hosting a festival. In China, residents go to the Moon Festival, known as Zhongqiu Jie, according to Britannica. While at the event, some people will eat mooncakes, a circular sweet treat cut up and shared between family members as part of the celebration.

Korea has their own festival called Chuseok, according to Britannica, where they will gather with family members to celebrating their ancestors and eat a treat called songpyeon, which is shaped like a crescent moon and a type of rice cake.

For those who take their cue from the stars by way of the zodiac, the harvest moon is a time of renewal. While there is no gathering or celebrating, these folks tend to believe the arrival of the harvest moon is a time for letting go and getting back on track.

According to PopSugar, it's a time to look back on the things that have happened since the last harvest moon, expressing thanks for all that has gone right in your life.

There are a lot of great one-liners that can help us remember the significance of the harvest moon, like this vivid one attributed to Carl Sandburg per Bustle that reminds us of what is coming in the seasons ahead. "Under the harvest moon, when the soft silver drips shimmering over the garden nights, death, the gray mocker comes and whispers to you as a beautiful friend who remembers."

Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow also had a lot to say about the moon.

"It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes and roofs of villages, on woodland crests and their aerial neighborhoods of nests deserted, on the curtained window-panes of rooms where children sleep, on country lanes and harvest-fields, its mystic splendor rests" he wrote in part in his aptly named The Harvest Moon composition.

No matter how you choose to spend the 2024 harvest moon-supermoon-eclipse, try and remember to take a moment to look towards the stars and take in the sights since it sounds like we won't get to experience this trifecta of celestial wonder again for a very long time.