Get Ready for a Celestial Spectacle: Will the Weather Cooperate for Tonight’s Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is the moon that appears on the night of August 15 in the solar-lunar calendar (lunar calendar), which determines the dates of a month based on the waxing and waning of the moon. It is also called the fifteenth night moon.

There are two ways to write the sound “chushu”: “mid-autumn” and “chu-au”. Mid-autumn often refers to August according to the lunar calendar, and mid-autumn often refers to August 15th according to the lunar calendar.

Originally, the lunar calendar divided the year into three months: January to March was spring, April to June was summer, July to September was autumn, and October to December was winter. Because the moon is in the middle of autumn, it was called “Mid-Autumn.” In the past, the meaning was the same even when written as “Mid-Autumn,” but it is said that gradually Mid-Autumn came to refer to August 15 of the lunar calendar, which is even more midway.

The custom of viewing the Mid-Autumn Moon, which falls in mid-autumn, is said to have been introduced from China during the Heian period, and is still considered an important event in China today as part of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

▼ Moonrise and sunset times in various locations
Nemuro Sunset 17:24 Moonrise 17:08
Sendai Sunset 17:41 Moonrise 17:22
Tokyo Sunset 17:45 Moonrise 17:24
Osaka Sunset 18:01 Moonrise 17:40
Sunset in Fukuoka 18:22 Moonrise 18:00
Naha Sunset 18:31 Moonrise 18:06

A front of the Bering Sea low pressure system is extending eastward of Japan and by extension also affecting the area around Honshu. Although this autumn rain front is not very active, clouds are expected to spread over eastern and northern Japan due to the influence of moist air flowing toward the front.

There is a possibility that the front will split into two parts, north and south, and depending on its position, the area where the clouds will extend may change. According to the current forecast, clouds are likely to spread over southern Hokkaido, northern Tohoku, northern Kanto/Koshin, and the San’in area, which could unfortunately lead to cloudy skies for moonwatching.

In addition, due to unstable weather conditions, showers and thunderstorms may occur in several areas in the afternoon, while clouds may continue to cover the sky at night. It is likely that the inland areas will be affected by these clouds.

The moon is expected to be visible in many places, including the Pacific side of eastern and western Japan, southern Tohoku, and eastern Hokkaido, although there will be some clouds. The temperature is not expected to drop much during the moon-viewing period, so take your time and watch the sky.

Okinawa and Amami are expected to be hit by the humid air surrounding Typhoon 14, with occasional rain clouds passing through. The actual typhoon is approaching tomorrow, so don’t forget to take typhoon precautions.
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In the lunar calendar, dates are determined according to the waxing and waning of the moon, so it seems that the Mid-Autumn Harvest Moon, the fifteenth night, will fall on the same day as the full moon, but this is not always the case. In fact, there are many years when the full moon does not fall on the same day.

In the lunar calendar (solar-lunar calendar), the day that includes the moment of the new moon is determined as the 1st of the ◯ month. The number of days from the new moon to the full moon varies depending on the weather, ranging from 13.9 to 15.6 days, so the days that include the moment of the full moon are from the 14th to the 17th of the lunar calendar.

This year, the full moon will be on August 16 of the lunar calendar, the day after the Harvest Moon, and on September 18 (Wednesday) of the new calendar. For the past three years, until last year, the Harvest Moon and the Full Moon have occurred on the same day, but the next time the Harvest Moon and the Full Moon will be on the same day will be in 2030.

Weather News will broadcast live coverage of the Harvest Moon on the night of the 17th (Tuesday). The special program will feature live footage from all over Japan, as well as tips on how to enjoy moon-viewing.

Special programs and live camera specials from various locations can be viewed on the official Weather News YouTube channel.

Tonight’s Harvest Moon will be very close to Saturn. Throughout the night, Saturn and the Moon will move side by side in the night sky.

Saturn is the second planet after Venus and Jupiter to appear as bright as Mars. Please take a look at how it shines without losing even when it is next to the bright mid-autumn harvest moon.

▼17th Rising Time (Tuesday) (Tokyo)
Saturn 17:23 Month 17:24

Photo: Last year’s Harvest Moon weather report (posted by Weather News app)