The moon over Farmville is planning quite a show for the month of September. During the early days of the month, the moon’s opening act will feature its waning (diminishing) phases, and the moon will rise later on successive nights. Those of you who get up before dawn will be treated to a slender crescent that will slip between Venus and Mars about an hour before sunrise on Sept.10. Then the curtain will close briefly, and the new moon will be hidden from view on Sep. 13.

The curtain rises for the moon’s next act on Sept. 14, when a thin sliver will appear low in the western sky just after sunset. The width of this crescent will increase as the next nights pass. This stage is known as waxing (think of how a candle can be made thicker by dipping it in warm wax). The moon’s position will also change, moving eastward against the starry background and traversing about 13 degrees of sky every day.

The moon will reach first quarter during the morning hours of Sept. 21, just two days before the autumnal equinox (which marks the beginning of fall). After that, the moon will continue growing through a phase known as “waxing gibbous” until it reaches full on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 27.

This full moon promises to be a spectacular, grand finale for the month-long show.

In American folklore, the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. According to tradition, the full moon’s light at this time of year extends the hours during which farmers can bring in their crops.

Although that might be sufficient grounds for celebration, the Harvest Moon this year has additional marvels in store. It will also be a “super” moon. The moon’s slightly elliptical orbit brings it closer to the earth at some points (as close as 225,000 miles) and takes it farther away at others (a distance of more than 250,000 miles). The farthest point is called the “apogee,” and the closest point is called the “perigee.” According to NASA, the apparent total area of a full moon at perigee is fourteen percent bigger than at apogee. It is also thirty percent brighter. Those numbers may sound impressive, but in reality the difference isn’t enough for casual observers to notice. Still, it’s fun to know that this year’s Harvest Moon will present our nearest celestial neighbor at its closest, largest, and brightest “super” state.

But that’s not all. This year’s Harvest moon has one additional treat in store for observers. A total lunar eclipse will occur during the late evening hours of Sept. 27. The moon will begin to enter the earth’s umbra (the deepest part of its shadow) at about 9:06 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Over the course of the next hour, the earth’s shadow will creep across the lunar face. After the moon passes fully into the umbra, it will take on a coppery orange hue. This reddish coloration is responsible for giving rise to the popular term “blood moon.” The moon will remain in this fully eclipsed state for an hour and twelve minutes. The entire event, from the moon’s first encounter with the umbra until it completely exits the dark shadow, will take three hours and twenty minutes. You won’t want to miss it because the next total lunar eclipse won’t occur until January 31, 2018, and it will be only partially visible from our area.

High Bridge Trail State Park has two events planned to help you observe the moon during September. On Saturday, Sept. 19, as the moon approaches first quarter, please join me for a program on the bridge beginning at 7:45 p.m. Participants will get to see the lunar terrain with binoculars and through a telescope. Then on Sunday, Sept. 27, the Park will host an open trail night so people can enjoy the Super Harvest Moon and total eclipse from the unobstructed view on High Bridge. Both events are free, but a parking fee applies at the River Road parking lot. For more information, contact the park office at (434) 315-0457.

Karen Bellenir, blogs for Pier Perspectives at PierPress.com and maintains an archive of columns at www.KarenBellenir.com. She is also Editorial Director for Wordwright LLC, providing services to authors, publishers, and other producers of print and electronic publications (www.Wordwrightllc.com). Her email is kbellenir@worwrightllc.com.