September’s full moon lit up the night sky this weekend in a dazzling lunar spectacle enjoyed by sky watchers around the world.
September’s full moon peaked on Saturday (September 10) but appeared fully lit to casual observers the day before and after its lunar show. It also marked the 2022 Harvest Moon, as this full moon was closest to the September equinox on September 22 which will mark the changing seasons on Earth.
“Many cultures celebrate festivals related to the Harvest Moon,” NASA officials wrote on Twitter (opens in a new tab). “For example, those who celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival share mooncakes.”
Getty photographers around the world got incredible views of the 2022 Harvest Moon, including images of New York City, Spain, and Tokyo, Japan.
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The full moon is seen from the observation deck of Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills, during a harvest moon viewing event in Tokyo on September 10, 2022. (Image credit: Philip Fong/AFP via at Getty Images)
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The full harvest moon sets behind the Statue of Liberty at sunrise on September 10, 2022 in New York City. (Image credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)Image 1 of 5
The Harvest Moon rises behind the downtown Manhattan skyline and the Empire State Building as the sun sets in New York City on September 9, 2022, as seen from West Orange, New Jersey. (Image credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)Image 1 of 5
The full harvest moon rises above the wind turbines of a wind farm with a field of recently harvested wheat. (Image credit: Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)Image 1 of 5
People look at the full moon from the observation deck of Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills, during a harvest moon viewing event in Tokyo on September 10, 2022. (Image credit: Philip Fong/AFP via at Getty Images)Image 1 of 5
Nicholas Isabella, a photographer based in New York City, woke up very early on Saturday to capture a stunning view of the Harvest Moon.
“This morning’s harvest moon sets over the Statue of Liberty,” Isabella tweeted (opens in new tab) early Saturday while sharing a stunning photo. “It was worth waking up early for.”
This morning the harvest moon sets over the Statue of Liberty. That’s why it was worth waking up early. pic.twitter.com/fI55XbIF5KS September 10, 2022
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Veteran astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy of Florence, Arizona, expressed a similar sentiment, even if he had to battle rainy weather to observe the moon.
“The brief moment the Harvest Moon revealed itself before it was obscured by clouds for the rest of the night,” McCarthy wrote on Instagram (opens in a new tab), where she posts as cosmic_background (opens in a new tab), Saturday. “This full moon means a lot to me personally, so I’m glad I was able to capture it despite the heavy rain last night.”
In Seattle, photographer Sigma Sreedharan captured incredible views of the Harvest Moon rising behind Washington City’s iconic Space Needle.
“Here’s a time-lapse video of the full Harvest Moon rising over the Space Needle in Seattle last night,” Sreedharan wrote in a Twitter post (opens in new tab ).
Here’s a timelapse video of the full #HarvestMoon rising over the #SpaceNeedle in #Seattle last night. #wawx pic.twitter.com/LsxvBXrHL210 September 2022
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Sreedharan said smoke from wildfires created a kind of natural filter during his photo shoot that resulted in a stunning view of the moon directly behind the Space Needle.
Tonight’s #HarvestMoon rises behind the #SpaceNeedle in #Seattle . The smoke in the air created a natural filter to make a generally harsh exposure possible. pic.twitter.com/YimYwOPCQLS10 September 2022
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In the UK, watchers were poised at a different monument, Stonehenge, to capture the Harvest Moon overhead.
The 2022 full harvest moon rising over Stonehenge last night 🌾🌝Photo courtesy of Stonehenge Dronescapes #harvest #moon #fullmoon pic.twitter.com/oxhqs01QGgSeptember 10, 2022
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The view was equally incredible in Graceville, Minnesota, where “Grandma with a Camera” Carol Bauer captured stunning views of the full moon rising over the water and houses.
Graceville MN #harvestmoon @BobVanDillen @wxchanneldesk @JimCantore @JenCarfagno @StephanieAbrams @WeatherNation @spann @mark_tarello @Wx_Max @AgDayTV @Ginger_Zee @ian_leonard @FOX9 @kellycass twitter #mn.
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SPECTACULAR! Full Harvest Moon seen Saturday from Graceville, Minnesota. Photo courtesy of @carolbauer320 #Moon #Space pic.twitter.com/vysEKosjwwSeptember 11, 2022
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At Cleeve Hill in Gloucestershire, UK, amateur astronomer and photographer Susan Snow watched the Harvest Moon rise above the horizon, silhouetted trees in its path.
The #FullMoon rising behind Cleeve Hill this evening 🌝#Moonrise #HarvestMoon #FullMoon #FullHarvestMoon @CleeveCommon @GlosLiveOnline pic.twitter.com/bqxRmBBudTSSeptember 10, 2022
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The #FullMoon rising behind Cleeve Hill this evening 🌝#Moonrise #HarvestMoon #FullMoon #FullHarvestMoon @CleeveCommon @GlosLiveOnline pic.twitter.com/D1yKGX5uJZ September 11, 2022
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With so many incredible views of this year’s Harvest Moon, it’s hard to pick a favorite. Here are a few more that we found to be really impressive.
The full harvest moon rises over @Ely_Cathedral this evening in Cambridgeshire. Very happy with my capture 😍🙏🏻🌝 #HarvestMoon #fullmoon pic.twitter.com/IcdnT77A0i September 10, 2022
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It was a nice clear evening to watch the rising of the 2022 Harvest Moon here over the rolling prairie near home in southern Alberta. #HarvestMoon @twanight #FullMoon pic.twitter.com/Rrd9kyUEZJ September 10, 2022
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With clouds in the forecast tomorrow, I didn’t want to risk missing the Harvest Moon in #Pittsburgh . While not quite full (99.7% is close enough), it still looked spectacular climbing over PPG Place tonight. A scene I will never, ever tire of capturing. pic.twitter.com/35tMkLlzLYSeptember 10, 2022
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The Harvest Moon rises behind the Claiborne Pell Bridge in Rhode Island. #HarvestMoon #Moon #timelapse #RhodeIsland pic.twitter.com/5AJ6NvAWXSS September 11, 2022
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September’s Harvest Moon as it set this morning in Parker County, Texas. #ParkerCounty #Texas #fullmoon #HarvestMoon #moon #dfwwx #txwx #HarvestMoon2022 pic.twitter.com/8whA5SXyxg September 11, 2022
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The 99.7% full harvest moon (also known as the COOOOORN moon!) rises behind the Wood Island Light Savings Station, photographed from New Castle, NH. The smoke from the wildfire up there contributes to the deep pink color. #NHwx #StormHour pic.twitter.com/rY75cHta3j September 10, 2022
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#HarvestMoon rises over @TowerBridge lit up royal purple this evening pic.twitter.com/yd3V7yFQ9Y September 9, 2022
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10.9.2022 📸 19:20 # Gifu Castle # Gifu Castle and the Moon # Mid-Autumn Moon # Full Moon # TRUE MOON # Harvest Moon pic.twitter.com/ebPmFWb1KLS September 10, 2022
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If you’re looking for gear to see the next full moon or planet, you can check out our guides to find the best binoculars and best telescopes to suit your needs. If you want to take an epic photo of the moon, our recommendations for the best astrophotography cameras and the best astrophotography lenses can help you find what you need. You can also read our guide to photographing the moon with a camera for general tips.
Editor’s note: If you take a photo of the Harvest Moon near Jupiter and Neptune and want to share it with Space.com readers, please send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space. com (opens in new tab).
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com (opens in a new tab) or follow him @tariqjmalik (opens in a new tab). Follow us @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab), Facebook (opens in a new tab) and Instagram (opens in a new tab).