[caption id="attachment_5113" align="alignleft" width="273"]<a href="https://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/moon-romance.jpg"><img class="wp-image-5113 size-full" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/moon-romance.jpg" alt="moon romance" width="273" height="271" /></a> <strong>SOURCE: :</strong> http://cheddarbay.com/Shanghai%20Breezes/MoonFestival/moonfestival.html[/caption]<p>Recently, I attended a stargazing gathering at the home of our local Night Sky expert, Darlene Danko, who writes a weekly column by that title for our local newspaper. It’s one of the first columns I read.</p><p>Last week, Ms. Danko set up her computerized telescope in her front yard and invited the neighbors to join her.</p><p>It was fascinating to see craters on the moon and rings on Saturn up close. We saw lots of other stars and galaxies, but the moon and Saturn were the best. </p><p>For the next few nights, all of us will have the opportunity to see a full moon without such a fancy telescope.</p><p>The moon will be coming up at dusk or nightfall for several nights in succession, a progression of moonlit nights that characterizes the <strong>harvest moon</strong>.</p><p>The term <em>harvest moon</em> probably came from farmers who used the extra moonlight during fall harvest. Then in 1903, Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth popularized the name in the popular song <em>Shine On Harvest Moon. </em> <a href="https://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/452px-shine-on-harvest-moon-1908.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5114" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/452px-shine-on-harvest-moon-1908.jpg?w=226" alt="452px-Shine-On-Harvest-Moon-1908" width="226" height="300" /></a>Here are the words:</p><p style="text-align:center;">Shine on, shine on harvest moon Up in the sky,</p><p style="text-align:center;">I ain’t had no lovin’</p><p style="text-align:center;">Since January, February, June or July</p><p style="text-align:center;">Snow time ain’t no time to stay Outdoors and spoon,</p><p style="text-align:center;">So shine on, shine on harvest moon, For me and my gal.</p><p>The old sheet music cover (and words) warm my romantic heart.</p><p> And, this year the Harvest Moon is a bit bigger than usual … because it’s also a <strong>supermoon</strong>.</p><p>Astrologer <a href="http://www.astropro.com/resume.html">Richard Nolle</a> came up with the popular name supermoon to describe a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. Technically the phenomenon is a <a href="http://earthsky.org/moon-phases/full-moon">perigee full moon</a>, or a <a href="http://earthsky.org/moon-phases/new-moon">perigee new moon</a>.</p><p>Whatever you call it - harvest moon or supermoon, I’m just going outside tonight and enjoy the bright, orange orb. Maybe do some spooning on the porch with my honey.</p><p>How about you?</p><p> </p>