The full moon of September 2018, known as the "harvest moon," will be shining in the night sky on Monday, Sept. 24, but will be nearly full on Sunday, Sept. 23. (Shutterstock)

By Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The September 2018 full moon, commonly known by the nickname "harvest moon" because of the harvest season for corn and other crops, will be glowing in the night sky on Monday, Sept. 24, just two days after the official start of fall, when the autumn equinox occurred.

Just like the August full moon, this month's full moon will not be a special one. It's not one of this year's supermoons, nor is it a blue moon or a lunar eclipse blood moon. It's simply an ordinary full moon.

However, as the astronomy website EarthSky.org notes: "These autumn full moons do have special characteristics, related to the time of the moonrise. Nature is particularly cooperative in giving us full-looking moons near the horizon after sunset, for several evenings in a row, around the time of the harvest moon."

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The September full moon has several names, but the main one is the "harvest moon" when it appears close to the date of the autumn equinox. (Pixabay)

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When to see the September full moon

The September harvest moon will start to rise in the eastern sky at about 7 p.m. Monday in New York City, but it won't be officially at its fullest phase until 10:53 p.m. that night. Regardless, the moon will look almost completely full as it is rising.

Assuming skies are clear, the moon should also look big and bright as it moves across the sky on Sunday night and when it sets on Monday morning, then again on Tuesday morning as it sets and Tuesday night as it rises.

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The full moon of September 2018, known as the "harvest moon," will be shining in the night sky on Monday, Sept. 24, but will be nearly full on Sunday, Sept. 23. (Shutterstock)

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Why is it called the harvest moon?

The Old Farmer's Almanac says the nickname "harvest moon" refers to the harvesting of crops in September in North America, particularly corn and barley, noting: "Around the harvest moon, the moonrise happens soon after sunset for several evenings in a row, which traditionally allowed farmers to have much more light to finish their harvest."

According to EarthSky.com, the "harvest moon" nickname got popular in the early 1900s because of music. A song called "Shine On, Harvest Moon" was penned in 1908 by vaudeville stars Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth. It later was recorded by many different singers, including Ruth Etting in 1931, Kate Smith in 1933, The Four Acres in 1955, and Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney in 1960, according to BING magazine.

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What is the corn moon?

Last year, the traditional moon names were thrown out of whack, with the September full moon called the "corn moon" and the October full moon labeled the "harvest moon."

The harvest nickname gets switched between those two months every few years, depending on which full moon appears closest to the date of the autumn equinox, the official start of the fall season. The equinox occurs when the sun rises directly over the equator, bringing an almost equal amount of daylight and darkness hours in the northern and southern hemispheres on that day.

In 2017, the autumn equinox occurred on Sept. 22, closer to the October full moon (Oct. 5) than the September full moon (Sept. 6). As a result, the October full moon was called the "harvest moon."

This year, the autumn equinox occurred on Saturday, Sept. 22, just two days before the September moon turns full. So it will get its traditional nickname, the “harvest moon.”

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The full moon in September has different nicknames, but is mostly known as the harvest moon. (Pixabay)

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What are other names for the September full moon?

As mentioned earlier, some years the September full moon is known as the "corn moon." In addition, some native American tribes called it the "barley moon, because it is the time to harvest and thresh the ripened barley," the Old Farmer's Almanac says.

Other nicknames have also been in the mix. Space.com notes the September full moon was known as the "falling leaves moon" among the Ojibwe tribe in the Great Lakes region and also had two other nicknames: "The Cree of Ontario called the September full moon the rutting moon because it was when many animals started mating (notably, deer). In the Pacific Northwest, the Haida called it the cedar bark moon, according to the 'Tlingit Moon and Tide Teaching Resource' published by the University of Alaska in Fairbanks."

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This is the cover of the sheet music for the song, "Shine On, Harvest Moon," written in 1908 by Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth. (Wikimedia Commons)

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When is the October full moon?

Most years, the October full moon is known as the "hunter's moon," and this year it will be at its fullest phase on Oct. 24, one week before Halloween.

Other popular nicknames for the October full moon include the “blood moon,” the “sanguine moon” and the “dying grass moon,” according to TimeAndDate.com.

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.