The first full moon of 2013 will light up the night sky on Saturday night, but did you know it's a full moon of many names?
Full
moon names date back to the Native American tribes of a few hundred
years ago, who lived in what is now the northern and eastern United
States. Those tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive
names to each recurring full moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred.
There were some variations in the
moon names, but in general, the same ones were used throughout the
Algonquin tribes from New England on west to Lake Superior. European
settlers followed their own customs and created some of their own names.
Since the lunar (or "synodic") month is roughly 29.5 days in length on
average, the dates of the full moon shift from year to year.
Here
is a listing of all of the full moon names, as well as the dates and
times for 2013. Unless otherwise noted, all times are for the Eastern
time zone:
Jan. 26, 11:38 p.m. ET —Full Wolf Moon:
Amid the zero cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled
hungrily outside Indian villages. It was also known as the Old Moon or
the Moon after Yule. In some tribes this was the Full Snow Moon; most
applied that name to the next moon. [Full Moon: Why Does It Happen? (Video)]
Feb. 25, 3:26 p.m. ET —Full Snow Moon:
Usually the heaviest snows fall in this month. Hunting becomes very
difficult, and hence, to some tribes this was the Full Hunger Moon.
March 27, 5:27 a.m. ET —Full Worm Moon:
In this month the ground softens and the earthworm casts reappear,
inviting the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this as
the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signals the end of winter,
or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from
thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the
time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. [Phases of the Moon in 2013: A Lunar Calendar]
In 2013, this is also the Paschal Full Moon —
the first full moon of the spring season. The first Sunday following
the paschal moon is Easter Sunday, which indeed will be observed four
days later on Sunday, March 31.
April 25, 3:57 p.m. ET — Full Pink Moon:
The grass pink or wild phlox is one of the earliest widespread flowers
of the spring. Other names were the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg
Moon and — among coastal tribes — the Full Fish Moon, when the shad come
upstream to spawn. The moon will also undergo a very slight partial lunar eclipse,
which will be visible from the Eastern Hemisphere, but not from North
America. At its peak, less than 1.5 percent of the moon's diameter will
be immersed in Earth’s umbral shadow; a very underwhelming event, to say
the least.
May 25, 12:25 a.m. ET — Full Flower Moon:
Flowers are now abundant everywhere. It was also known as the Full Corn
Planting Moon or the Milk Moon. The moon will also undergo a penumbral lunar eclipse,
but the passage of the moon's disk into Earth's shadow will result in
one of the slightest eclipses of all, administering a mere touch of
penumbral shadow at the northernmost part of the lunar limb.
June 23, 7:32 a.m. ET — Full Strawberry Moon:
Strawberry-picking season peaks during this month. Europeans called
this the Rose Moon. The moon will also arrive at perigee only 32 minutes
earlier, at 7 a.m. ET at a distance of 221,824 miles (356,991
kilometers) from Earth. So this is the biggest full moon
of 2013. Very high ocean tides can be expected during the next two or
three days, thanks to the coincidence of perigee with the full moon.
July 22, 2:16 p.m. ET— Full Buck Moon:
Named for when the new antlers of buck deer push out from their
foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full
Thunder Moon, thunderstorms now being most frequent. Sometimes it's also
called the Full Hay Moon.
Aug. 20, 9:45 p.m. ET — Full Sturgeon Moon:
This large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water like
Lake Champlain is most readily caught at this time. A few tribes knew
it as the Full Red Moon, because when the moon rises it looks reddish through a sultry haze. It was also known as the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
Sept. 19, 7:13 a.m. ET — Full Harvest Moon: Traditionally, this designation goes to the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal (fall) equinox. The Harvest Moon
usually comes in September, but (on average) once or twice a decade it
will fall in early October. At the peak of the harvest, farmers can
work into the night by the light of this moon.
Usually
the moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the
few nights around the Harvest Moon, the moon seems to rise at nearly the
same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and
only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn,
pumpkins, squash, beans and wild rice — the chief Indian staples — are
now ready for gathering.
Oct. 18, 7:38 p.m. ET — Full Hunters' Moon:
With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it's now time to hunt.
Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can ride over the stubble,
and can more easily see the fox, as well as other animals, which can be
caught for a Thanksgiving banquet after the harvest.
A penumbral lunar eclipse
will also take place. Perhaps for some minutes centered on the time of
greatest eclipse (7:50 p.m. ET) the penumbra might be marginally
detectable over the moon’s southernmost limb, for at that moment the
penumbral magnitude will reach 76.5 percent. Those living across the
eastern half of North America might see some evidence of this faint
penumbral shading soon after local moonrise.
Nov. 17, 10:16 a.m. ET —Full Beaver Moon:
At this point of the year, it's time to set beaver traps before the
swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another
interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Full Moon came from the
fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter.
It's also called the Frosty Moon.
Dec. 17, 4:28 a.m. ET — Full Cold Moon:
On occasion, this moon was also called the Moon Before Yule. December
is also the month the winter cold fastens its grip. Sometimes this moon
is referred to as the Full Long Nights Moon, and the term "Long Night"
Moon is a very appropriate name because the nights are now indeed long
and the moon is above the horizon a long time. This particular full moon
makes its highest arc across the night sky because it's diametrically opposite to the low sun.
Space.com skywatching columnist
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden
Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.
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Saturday, January 26, 2013
Wolf Moon
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