Harvest moon will shine brightly tonight, through the weekend

The Harvest Moon is the last full moon of summer.

Look to the eastern sky, over the ocean this evening, as this year's "harvest moon" will rise in a brilliant display of illumination.

It will shine nearly as brightly over the next two nights, barring any cloud cover, possibly with an orange or reddish tint due to its angle to the sun.

A harvest moon is the full moon before the autumnal equinox (next Thursday, September 22) - or, the last full moon of the summer season.

The name is sometimes attributed to Native American cultures in the Northern Hemisphere, to whom this phase represented the end of the growing season and a signal to harvest crops.

Alan MacRobert, an editor at Sky & Telescope magazine noted: "In the days before tractors with headlights, having moonlight to work by was crucial to getting harvest in quickly before rain caused it to rot."

There is some debate as to whether or not this should be considered a "supermoon," but either way, the United States will be missing out on seeing a harvest moon eclipse, which will not occur again until 2024.

If you'd like to check out a live broadcast, however, Slooh.com has you covered.

Take it home, Neil...