Autumn Equinox 2023 Moon Phases and Astronomical Events

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Autumn 2023 Moon Phases and Astronomical Events at WildHemlock.Com Learn More about the harvest moon, the autumn equinox, the geminid meteor shower, and more at Wild Hemlock WildHemlock.Com
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Check out the Glossary of Astronomical Events if you need any explanations!

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Introduction

Today is the Autumn Equinox, or the First Day of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Today, the Sun’s Ecliptic Path is intersecting with the Celestial Equator, and the Earth is facing the Sun at a perpendicular angle. This means the Earth’s Axial Tilt is neither facing towards nor away from the Sun. This gives us equal daytime and nighttime hours (on the equator!). To see a visual representation, check out the Solar Progression section.

Diagram of the Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice, and Vernal Equinox during the Earth's Orbit around the Sun and the Earth's Axial Tilt. Learn More at WildHemlock.Com!

The last Full Moon on September 29th is the Harvest Moon. The closest Full Moon to the Autumn Equinox is known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon typically appears brighter, larger, and orange-tinted. The moon rises much quicker than usual, leading to a bright night that farm workers can utilize to continue the Harvest into the evening. According to EarthSky, this happens because the Moon has the lowest orbit of the year as viewed from the Earth. The atmosphere is thicker and more water saturated near the horizon, which causes the Moon to appear larger and red orange.

There are two Eclipses this season, an Annular Solar Eclipse and a Partial Lunar Eclipse. The Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14 is visible in the American southwest, and visible partially in most of North and South America. Unfortunately, the Partial Lunar Eclipse is not visible in North America – but check out the Astronomical Phenomena section to learn where you can see it!

Lastly, On December 14th is one of the best meteor showers of the year! The Geminid Meteor Shower will impress with up to 120 meteors per hour! It sits between the New Moon and the First Quarter Moon, so there should be little interference. Hope for good weather, and check out the Meteor Showers section to learn more.

Click Here to Learn more about the Autumn Equinox and More at the Glossary of Astronomical Phenomena

Planets with purple background. Learn more about the planets at Wild Hemlock WildHemlock.com



Astronomical Phenomena
Autumn Equinox Learn more about the Autumn Equinox at Wild Hemlock WildHemlock.Com
Autumn Equinox

First Day of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere

September 23

Annular Solar Eclipse

October 14

Visible in most of North and Central America		Annular Eclipse Learn More about Annular Eclipses at Wild Hemlock WildHemlock.Com
Partial Eclipse Partial Lunar Eclipse Partial Solar Eclipse Learn more about Partial Eclipses at Wild Hemlock WildHemlock.Com
Partial Lunar Eclipse

October 28

Visible in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Parts of Oceania
Solar Progression
Solar Progression Autumn 2023 Learn more about the solar progression, or astrological progression, at Wild Hemlock WildHemlock.Com
The Celestial Sphere. Learn more about it and other astronomy facts at WildHemlock.Com!

In the above image, the day the Sun enters each constellation is marked from the Autumn Equinox until the Winter Solstice.

The Solar Progression follows the Sun on its Ecliptic Path in the sky. During the Autumn Equinox, the Sun’s Ecliptic intersects with the Celestial Equator. Afterward, the Sun dips down towards the Southern Hemisphere, towards the Tropic of Cancer. During this journey, the Sun transverses the Zodiac Constellations. The farther south the Sun’s Ecliptic dips, the shorter the days are in the Northern Hemisphere – until the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, also known as the Longest Night.

Moon Phases & Facts
Moon. Learn more about lunar phenomena and moon phases at WildHemlock.Com
September Moon Phases
Last Quarter Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComNew Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComFirst Quarter Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComHarvest Moon Learn More about the Harvest Moon and the September Autumn Fall Equinox at Wild Hemlock WildHemlock.com
Third Quarter Moon

September 6		New Moon

September 14		First Quarter Moon

September 22		Harvest Moon
Super Moon
September 29
October Moon Phases
Last Quarter Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComNew Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComFirst Quarter Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComFull Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.Com
Third Quarter Moon

October 6		New Moon

October 14		First Quarter Moon

October 21		Full Hunter’s Moon

October 28
November Moon Phases
Last Quarter Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComNew Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComFirst Quarter Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComFull Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.Com
Third Quarter Moon

November 6		New Moon

November 13		First Quarter Moon

November 20		Full Beaver Moon

November 27
December Moon Phases
Last Quarter Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComNew Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComFirst Quarter Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.ComFull Moon. Learn more about the Moon at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.Com
Third Quarter Moon

December 5		New Moon

December 12		First Quarter Moon

December 19		Full Cold Moon

December 26

All times are in Eastern Standard Time (EST) or Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT).

Meteor Showers
Learn more about Meteor Showers at WildHemlock.Com
Geminid Meteor Shower
Radiant Point Constellation:Gemini
Peak Date:December 14
Best Time, EST:2:00 AM
Zenith Hourly Rate:120 meteors per hour!
Learn More:In-The-Sky.Org
Minor Meteor Showers
NamePeak DateRadiant
Constellation		Meteors
Per Hour		Best Viewing
Time, EST
AurigidsSeptember 1Auriga6Before Dawn
ε-PerseidsSeptember 9Perseus5Before Dawn
Daytime SextantidsSeptember 28Sextans5Before Dawn
CamelopardalidsOctober 6DracohandfulBefore Dawn
DraconidsOctober 9DracohandfulAfter Dusk
Southern TauridsOctober 10Taurus52:00 AM
δ-AurigidsOctober 11Auriga2Before Dawn
ε-GeminidsOctober 18Gemini3Before Dawn
OrionidsOctober 22Orion15Before Dawn
Leonis MinoridsOctober 25Leo Minor2Before Dawn
Northern TauridsNovember 12Taurus5Midnight
LeonidNovember 18Leo15Before Dawn
α-MonocerotidNovember 22Canis Minorhandful4:00 AM
November OrionidsNovember 28Orion32:00 AM
PheonicidsDecember 2Phoenixhandfulnot visible in
North America
φ-CassiopeidDecember 6Andromedahandful9:00 PM
Puppid-VelidDecember 7Vela103:00 AM
MonocerotidDecember 9Monoceros21:00 AM
σ-HydridDecember 12Hydra33:00 AM
Comae BerenicidDecember 16Leo3Before Dawn
December Leonis MinoridDecember 20Leo Minor5Before Dawn
UrsidDecember 23Ursa Minor10Before Dawn
Astronomy Calendar
Planetary Alignments and Lunar Conjunctions - Learn more at Wild Hemlock, WildHemlock.Com



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