This Harvest Moon looks awesome. Photo courtesy of senior Karl Karsh.

  Students and staff at San Luis Obispo High School are all familiar with the experience of seeing a full moon rise every month. Friday, September 29, was when the full moon rose, and it was different than usual.

  September’s full moon is known as a Harvest Moon or a Corn Moon, indicating that it’s near the autumnal equinox. This Harvest Moon was also a supermoon, where the moon was the closest to Earth in its orbit.

  “I was really excited about this supermoon. My mom was telling me about it the other day and it piqued my interest,” said senior Kyle Platte.

  This full lunar disk was around thirty percent brighter and 14 percent larger than usual, since it was so close to Earth. On top of this spectacular display, three different planets also made an appearance. 

  Saturn rose and sat in the Aquarius constellation first, followed by Jupiter, which settled on the left of the Harvest Moon, in the Aries constellation. Mercury followed after the two planets, but was tricky to spot because of how far away it is. 

  “I’m fascinated with space and this display of planets was awesome. I was really looking forward to it and it did not disappoint,” said junior Sage Meeks.

  The next Harvest Moon is a year from now on September 18, 2024, so mark your calendars, Tigers!

Sources: abcnews.go.com, space.com