Spotted: Harvest moon over the water in Hyannis

It may not be over Menlo Park (my efforts were dismal) but it’s certainly a pretty harvest moon over Hyannis, MA, taken by Atherton resident Laura Pitchford.

A harvest moon is the full moon nearest the autumn equinox — when day and night become approximately equal, signaling the end of summer.

This year’s autumn equinox falls on Sept. 22. Around the equinox, the moon typically rises soon after the sun sets. The name “harvest moon” came about because the full moon’s light, plus fading twilight, was enough to let farmers harvest past sundown.