Maybe you've heard of Blood Moons and Harvest moons, but do you know why they're called that?

For years people have been calling the closest full moon to the fall equinox the Harvest moon. This is the time of year when crops were being harvested, and the moon allowed them to work longer into the night to get what they needed for winter.

The moon rises around sunset when there's a full moon, and usually rises around 50 minutes later each day after. In the days following the Harvest and Hunter's moons, that time is only 30 minutes, meaning there were more days in a row when farmers could take advantage of the additional sunlight.

The origin of the Hunter's moon, or blood moon, is a bit more interesting. This moon appears orange or red due to where it is on the horizon which has led to the latter of the two names. The reason it's called the Hunter's moon is pretty similar to the Harvest moon, though.

The Hunter's moon is always the first full moon after the Harvest moon. While the Harvest moon got its name from additional harvesting, the Hunter's moon got its name because there was more time to hunt. Since it was after harvest time, it gave people the ability to hunt more effectively later into the night.

Of course, there is a lot of folklore surrounding the Hunter's or blood moon. If you're superstitious, it might be beneficial to light some candles in the moon's name.

(Source)