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Great Pumpkin Or Harvest Moon? It's A Bright Sky Tonight In Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y. — When the full moon rises this evening across Orange County, you may understand what Linus was seeing when he exclaimed, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" 

Mostly clear skies are expected Thursday night over Orange County, which should make the Harvest Moon easily visible.

Mostly clear skies are expected Thursday night over Orange County, which should make the Harvest Moon easily visible.

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Flickr user DebAnne70

The full moon that rises tonight, Thursday, Oct. 5, is also the Harvest Moon.  

The full moon falling closest to the autumn equinox, the Harvest Moon appears bigger and even more orange than normal when it rises, according to NASA.

That's how it got its name — the bright light gave farmers extra time to harvest crops in the fall, which officially began Sept. 22. 

"With everything ripening at once, there was too much work to to do to stop at sundown. A bright full moon — a 'Harvest Moon' — allowed work to continue into the night," Tony Phillips said in a 2006 NASA article.

The moon will rise at about 6:50 p.m. Thursday in Connecticut — about the same time as sunset — offering brighter than normal light into the night. 

There is a slight chance of showers, but the moon should be fully visible barring any heavy cloud cover. 

The bright moon will be in the sky all night, setting at about sunrise on Friday morning.

No crops to harvest? It may be a perfect night instead for a midnight stroll. 

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