Mark your calendar for October 5! That's when the Harvest Moon will appear—and this year, it's a little unusual.

Normally, the September Full Moon, or the Full Corn Moon, is also the Harvest Moon because it often falls closest to the autumnal equinox (for the Northern Hemisphere, that would be the first day of fall, September 22).

But about every three years, the October Full Moon, also known as the Full Hunter's Moon, the Travel Moon, and the Dying Moon, actually rises closer to that date. September 2017's full moon, for example, rose on September 6, and October 2017's full moon will rise on October 5, meaning it's the latter that takes the title. Specifically, this year's Harvest Moon will be 100 percent full at 2:40 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 5, and will seem full for a few days. You can see it rise at 6:51 p.m. EDT that evening and set at 7:40 a.m. EDT the following morning.

"For several evenings, the moonrise comes soon after sunset," says the The Old Farmer's Almanac. This results in an abundance of bright moonlight early in the evening, which was a traditional aide to farmers and crews harvesting their summer-grown crops. Hence, it's called the 'Harvest Moon!'"

John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

According to the Almanac, full moon names originated from the terms Native Americans used to track seasons—back when calendars didn't exist. There's June's Strawberry Moon, the Wolf Moon in January, etc. Of all the full moons, the Harvest Moon is probably the most widely known—probably because of its historical connection to harvesting crops.

Last year's Harvest Moon (pictured above) was also a Supermoon since it was so close to Earth, which is partly why it looked so large. Still, because of their proximity to the horizon, Harvest Moons do seem extra bright with an orange, yellow, or reddish hue, known as the "Harvest Moon Effect".

So, whether you've got fields of grain or a modest backyard garden to harvest, or you just want to snap a photo to the tune of an old Neil Young classic, you can count on a little extra light near the beginning of October.

In 2018, it'll be back to the usual schedule, with the Harvest Moon on September 24.

Taysha Murtaugh Lifestyle Editor Taysha Murtaugh was the Lifestyle Editor at CountryLiving.com.

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