THE MOON 87 



light of the winter full moons, when the moon rides high in the 

 sky. 



The facts in regard to the west to east movement are more 

 important, and deserve fuller treatment. If we begin with the 

 new moon, the crescent seen after sunset, with the convexity 

 directed towards the place where the sun has set, we find that it is 

 then in the western part of the sky. Next night we find that when 

 . first seen, which happens, if the sky is clear, so soon as the sun- 

 light has faded sufficiently to make her pale light visible, that the 

 moon is higher in the sky, i.e. farther towards the east than on the 

 previous night, and also that her crescent is broader. This goes 

 on night after night, the moon always shifting farther away 

 from the sun, and as it shifts its surface becomes fuller and 

 rounder, more and more of it being illuminated. At last, about 

 a fortnight after the first pale crescent was seen at sunset, the 

 moon is at its full. It is now the whole breadth of the sky away 

 from the sun, and, as it turns the same face to the sun as to the 

 earth, it is seen as a round disc of pure white light. At this time 

 the moon rises about the time the sun sets, and sets about the 

 time he rises. 



If there should by chance be a full moon on the 22nd September, 

 or about this date, then we find that for several successive even- 

 ings the moon rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. 

 The sun at this period, it will be remembered, sets precisely in 

 the west, so that the two are exactly opposite each other. This 

 is the phenomenon of harvest moon, which should always be 

 noticed in the cases when it reaches perfect development. Owing 

 to its position the harvest moon appears unusually large, and 

 as it takes over the light-giving task of the sun immediately that 

 body sets, there is practically no darkness, and we have the long 

 light nights beloved of harvesters in the days when no mechani- 

 cal means of rapidly gathering in the corn existed. 



But the moon still continues her eastern course, rising later 

 and later each night as she wanes, and also setting later, so that 

 her pale crescent may be seen even after sunrise. This process 

 continues, the shrinking decrescent coming nearer and nearer to 

 the sun, and rising later and later, until it becomes a mere silver 

 thread, convex towards the east and visible only just before 



