Here are some sky highlights of this 2010 September equinox. If your sky is clear, you can glimpse an almost full Harvest moon in the east after sunset on this equinox evening. The crest of the moon’s full phase will come only 6 hours after the exact moment of the 2010 September equinox – in early morning tomorrow for the U.S. and Europe (4:17 a.m. Thursday morning Central Daylight Time, or 9:17 Universal Time). This is the northern hemisphere’s legendary Harvest Moon and the southern hemisphere’s first full moon of spring. What’s more there’s a blazing starlike light near tonight’s moon. It’s the solar system’s largest planet Jupiter, which just yesterday reached its opposition – when Earth flew between Jupiter and the sun.

The full moon won’t fall on the September equinox again until the year 2029. And Jupiter’s next comparably good appearance on the September equinox won’t happen for another 12 years.

 

There are two Solistice's Summer/Winter, and two equinox's during the year.  Earth's tilt creates an effect of head raised (earth in relation to the sun) for winter, and head bowed for summer.  At both the equinox's earth "flattens out" and comes to what I call "face to face" w/ the sun.  Interestinly, the spring and fall feasts take place largely, during this "face to face" time.  So, we are coming out of a "head bowed" and the heat of summer, to fall, where the leaves fall and turn firery red & orange (tesifying to the end of things), and coming "face to face" man to God, earth to sun on Tabernacles & the full moon.

 

Additionally, we have Saturn as well in the picture:

 

The Harvest Moon and the blazing planet Jupiter shine all night long tonight to commemorate the first full night of the autumn season. By common practice, we use the September equinox to mark the start of autumn, and call the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox the Full Harvest Moon. In 2010, the Harvest Moon comes only 6 hours after the September equinox.

 

September 2010 presents the only time in your lifetime that you’ll be able to witness the moon and Jupiter’s simultaneous all-night appearance on the equinox. On this the first full night of autumn, watch the Harvest Moon and Jupiter as they sail westward across the sky tonight!

Very interesting indeed!

 

Maranatha,

 

Tony Els