Shine On, Harvest Moon

There is a full moon this weekend. Specifically, the moon reaches full tonight at 06:10 UTC, which translates to 2:10 a.m. EDT October 4 / 11:10 p.m. PDT October 3. Wherever you are, the moon is going to look wonderful for the next few days. This full moon is the closest to the northern autumnal equinox, which occurred this year on September 22, and therefore this full moon is traditionally called the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon and the full moon that follows--called the Hunter's Moon—are both special. On average, the moon rises 50 minutes later each evening as it goes through its monthly (or “monthly”) cycle, but around the time of the Harvest and Hunter's Moon the time difference between moonrises is shorter, closer to 30 minutes difference each evening as seen from about 40 degrees North or South latitude. So for several evenings around these two full moons there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moorise. This phenomenon for the full moons of September, October and November can also be seen in the southern hemisphere for the full moons of March, April and May around the time of the northern vernal (spring) equinox, which is the southern hemisphere's autumnal equinox.

In the past, when farmers depended more on natural light, the Harvest Moon allowed farmers to work late into the evening as they gathered their harvest of ripening crops. Once the crops were in, the farmers then used the next month's light from the Hunter's Moon to make their last big catches of protein for the season, before the snows made it too difficult to hunt or travel over long distances.

And since we are talking about the moon, please allow me to catch you up on current lunar exploration activities. Here is a quick summary of three currently ongoing lunar missions. First, there is Change’s 1, China's lunar orbiter. Launched October 24 2007, Change’s 1 is designed to make three-dimensional imagery of the lunar surface and study its chemical elements and soil composition, preparing the way for future Chinese lunar lenders. Second, there is NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched June 18, 2009 with the mission to make high-resolution maps of the lunar surface for future landing sites, and to seek potential sources of water-ice. And third, there is NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). Launched along with LRO, LCROSS is designed to create two impacts on October 9 in a crater at the lunar South Pole. The first impact will be made by the Centaur upper stage that carried LRO and LCROSS, and that LCROSS will steer to its final resting place. The second impact will be made soon after by LCROSS itself. The resulting plumes from these impacts will be carefully checked for the presence of water (in the form of ice and vapor), hydrocarbons and hydrated materials.

Now, with a nod to musical nostalgia, the Harvest Moon always reminds me of a popular song from the early 1900s called “Shine On, Harvest Moon.” Officially, the words were written by Jack Norworth, the music was composed by Nora Bayes and the song was first published in 1908. But there is a little difference of opinion on the authorship, because as with many songs of the time, once a song was purchased outright, be came the property of the purchaser. Some credit the song to Edward Madden and Gus Edwards, while others credit David Stamper. Whatever the case, the song was extremely popular for several decades. I should note that the months referenced in the chorus have been changed by different performers over the years. For example, I learned them as “January, February, June or July.” If you need a refresher on the song, I’ve listed below a YouTube link to a wonderful performance of the chorus, given by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the 1939 movie “The Flying Deuces.”

Shine On, Harvest Moon

The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see,
For the moon refused to shine.
Couple sitting underneath a willow tree,
For love they did pine.
Little maid was kinda ’fraid of darkness
So she said, “I guess I'll go.”
Boy began to sigh, looked up at the sky,
And told the moon his little tale of woe

Chorus:

Oh, Shine on, shine on, harvest moon
Up in the sky;
I ain't had no lovin’
Since January, April, June or July.
Snow time ain’t no time to stay
Outdoors and spoon;
So shine on, shine on, harvest moon,
For me and my gal.

I can't see why a boy should sigh when by his side
Is the girl he loves so true,
All he has to say is: “Won't you be my bride,
For I love you,
I can't see why I'm telling you this secret,
When I know that you can guess.”
Harvest moon will smile,
Shine on all the while,
If the little girl should answer “yes.”

(chorus)

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Official Home Page of China’s Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) and Chang’e 1
http://www.clep.org.cn/

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mission Home Page
http://lro.gsfc.nasa.gov/

NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Mission Home Page
http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/

YouTube video, performance of the chorus of “Shine On, Harvest Moon”, given by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the 1939 movie “The Flying Deuces.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72qZZapTHFo

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