Tonight Charlotte will witness one of the rarest lunar phenomena in centuries – a Micro Harvest Moon on Friday the 13th.
On average, a full moon occurring on any Friday the 13th only happens about 1% of the time, but add to that the fact that tonight’s moon is also a Harvest Moon and a Micro moon and you have one exceptionally rare (and likely superstitious) lunar occurrence.
A “Harvest Moon” is the term given to the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox (this year the equinox will fall on September 23).
A “Micro Moon” is essentially the opposite of a “Super Moon” and occurs when the moon is at its apogee (the furthest point away from the earth in the moon’s orbit).
The next Friday the 13th Micro Moon won’t happen again for more than 500 years, and it’s unclear if there will ever be another Friday the 13th Micro Harvest Moon.