Most of this week the harvest moon will dominate the evening sky.

As much as I love watching the magic of that cratered orb climbing in the eastern Butler skies on these September evenings, I don't like what it does to serious stargazing. My big telescope and obsession with astrophotography have the week off, but that's OK because by this weekend at least the early evening skies will be free of white washing moonlight and I can go back to Earth.

Full moons are one of life's true pleasures, and there are so many ways to enjoy it.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a walk under it, but just sitting in a lawn chair by yourself or with that special someone lets the cares and worries of the day melt away. Get away from that TV and computer screen at least for a little while and watch one of nature's best shows!

You really don't need a telescope or binoculars. Oh sure, they can really give you a close-up view, but honestly, I don't think full moons are all that great through a telescope. You'll get a better look at the darker maria or volcanic plains of the moon, but with all the direct sunlight there's a lack of the shadows that can really bring out the details of the craters and mountains.

When viewing the moon through a telescope, the best place to look is along the terminator, which is the ragged line between the sunlit part of the moon and darkened part. That's where you'll see the surface details.

The terminator line moves back and forth across the surface every month as the moon goes through its phases. During a full moon there just isn't a terminator, just a lot of blinding sunlight, so much so that it can be really tough on your eyes viewing the full moon with a telescope.

The full moon this week is called the harvest moon because it's the closest full moon we have to the autumnal equinox, or the first astronomical day of autumn. That takes place Sept. 23, a week from this coming Friday. The details get hairy, but there are unique celestial mechanics at work right now.

The ecliptic, which is the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun, is at a very close angle to the horizon in the evening this time of year. That causes the moon to rise only about 20 minutes later each evening, getting the moon up in the eastern sky closer to sunset most of this week.

Normally, the full moon rises about 40 to 50 minutes later each night so most folks, especially those with early bedtimes, don't enjoy as many consecutive evenings of full or near full moonlight.

You have a much better chance of catching those spectacular moon rises this week, something that's always a sight to behold.

The orange-reddish color of the moon is due to Earth's atmosphere, which is thicker toward the horizon, and the super jumbo size of the rising moon is simply an optical illusion. Believe it or not, the moon is no bigger in size when it's rising than when it's high in the sky.

You can prove that to yourself by just taking one of your thumbs and holding it at arm's length. Your thumb will cover just as much of the moon no matter how low or high it is in the heavens.

The harvest moon got its name because of all the help it gave farmers in the days before electricity and headlights on tractors. Since the moonlight was available in the east so close to sunset night after night they could extend their time in the fields. Sometimes, with the help of strong coffee, eagle eyes and a lot of determination, they could pull “all nighters,” pulling in the crops in dimly moonlit fields. Of course, it was easy to miss some spots for sure!

Even now, the full harvest moon is still a friend to farmers, or that neighbor of yours determined to get the lawn cut before he goes to bed, no matter how much he disturbs the nighttime peace on your block!

As you gaze upon the harvest moon, thank your lucky stars, pardon the awful pun, for the fact that it's there. Without the moon life would be a whole lot different on the Earth.

For one thing, the gravitational interaction between the moon and the Earth keeps the Earth's axis at a stable 23.5 degree angle to its orbit around the sun. There's some debate among astronomers, but without the moon the Earth's axis would be at the gravitational mercy of Jupiter and the other planets in our solar system. The axis could swing chaotically every few million to ten million years or so. Talk about climate change!

Also, without the moon ocean tides would be completely different, and the Earth would rotate a lot faster. If you think time flies now, it's estimated that without the moon the Earth would rotate on its axis in just eight hours.

One of the effects of that is we would have a lot stronger winds, easily over one hundred miles an hour at times! Hair stylists would be out of work!

The fact of the matter is the moon and Earth are parting company ever so gradually. Because of the same gravitational interaction between the moon and the Earth, the moon is moving about two inches farther away from the Earth every year.

So appreciate that full moon we have in the evening sky this week. Eons from now it won't be here, but by that time the Sun will expand out into a red giant star and basically incinerate life as we know it anyway. Nothing is permanent in this crazy universe so enjoy the present and all the pleasures it has to offer, like the beautiful harvest moon this week!

Celestial Hugging

On Friday night, look for the waning full moon and the bright planet Jupiter in the low eastern sky after 10 p.m. The moon will be just seven degrees to the left of Jupiter, less than the width of your fist held at arm's length.

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and is author of the book, “Pennsylvania Starwatch,” available at bookstores and at his website www.lynchandthestars.com.