Full moon to appear on Christmas Day for the first time in 38 years
A full moon will appear in the skies on Christmas day, for the first time in decades.
The last time there was a full moon on 25 December was 1977, and there won’t be another one until 2034 – so unless you want a long wait to catch a sight of this rare astronomical occurrence, it’s a good idea to head outside and look up on Christmas.
The full moon, which is the last of the year, is called the Full Cold Moon because it occurs at the start of winter.
The Full Cold Moon – Full Long Nights Moon – Ice Moon
During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule.
The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.
Full Moon Names and Their Meanings
Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The 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 was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names.
Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year.
Here is the Farmers Almanac’s list of the full Moon names.
Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The 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 was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year.
Here is the Farmers Almanac’s list of the full Moon names.
This full Moon is often referred to as the Full Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon, or Sanguine Moon. Many moons ago, Native Americans named this bright moon for obvious reasons. The leaves are falling from trees, the deer are fattened, and it’s time to begin storing up meat for the long winter ahead.
Because the fields were traditionally reaped in late September or early October, hunters could easily see fox and other animals that come out to glean from the fallen grains. Probably because of the threat of winter looming close, the Hunter’s Moon is generally accorded with special honor, historically serving as an important feast day in both Western Europe and among many Native American tribes.
Some Native American tribes referred to October’s Moon as the Full Hunter’s Moon, as it was the time to go hunting in preparation for winter.
This full Moon is also called the Travel Moon and the Dying Grass Moon.
This is the first Full Moon following the Harvest Moon last month. It rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, the only night in the month when the Moon is in the sky all night long.
There’s a full moon happening in tonight, but not just any full moon. This “supermoon” is happening Saturday night.
It’s an event that happens a few times every year and is a good chance for photographers to nab a picture of the moon when it appears at its biggest and brightest.
The definition of a supermoon is when a full moon closely lines up with its perigee, or its closest point to Earth, in its orbit. The moon has a slightly eliptical orbit around Earth with one side of the orbit closer to Earth than the other. The side closest to the Earth is called the perigee and the side farthest from the Earth is known as the apogee.
Full Moon Names and Their Meanings
Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The 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 was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior.
European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year. Here is the Farmers Almanac’s list of the full Moon names.
~Full Sturgeon Moon~
August
The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
The full moon July 31, 2015 is the second of the month making it a rare blue moon.
At 7 degrees Aquarius it falls within Aquarius decan 1. The full moon astrology is depressing to say the least, especially when it comes to maintaining harmony in close relationships.
What is a Blue Moon?
The modern day definition of a Blue Moon is when there are 2 full moons in one month.
A full moon occurs roughly every 29.5 days and on the rare occasions when the full moon falls at the very beginning of a month there is a good chance a Blue Moon will occur at the end of the month.
According to this definition the next blue moon will occur on July 31, 2015.
~~GALLERY~~
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This Week’s Amazing Sky: The Anti-Blue Moon
First, on the night of Wednesday, July 1, we see the year’s lowest full moon.
At its highest at 1 AM, it doesn’t even get one-third of the way up the sky, from typical U.S. locations. It’s much lower than that as seen in Canada or Europe. Low moons look more orange, thanks to the thick air near the horizon. Some have even suggested that its amber color is the origin of the term, “Honey Moon.”
What is a Blue Moon?
The term Blue Moon, as it applies to astronomy, was actually the result of a misunderstanding in a 1940’s magazine. But it slowly went viral until nowadays the second full moon in the same calendar month is widely called a blue moon.
The second full Moon of the month on July 31 will qualify as a Blue Moon, according to this popular definition.
Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The 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 was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year.
~The Full Buck Moon~
July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon. In this case, there’s a second full moon … called BLUE MOON.
~Here is the Farmers Almanac’s list of the full Moon names~
With a so-called “blue moon” set to rise in the night sky this Friday (Aug. 31), you may find yourself wondering: Just what is a blue moon, exactly? And where does the term come from?
Somewhat confusingly, the answers have nothing to do with the moon’s color. The “blue moon” tale is a convoluted one, with much of the action taking place in the relatively recent past.
In 1946, “Sky and Telescope” magazine traced the term to the “Maine Farmer’s Almanac,” where it apparently referred to the third full moon in a season that contains four full moons instead of the usual three.
The year is divided into four equal seasons, each 91 or 92 days long. Because there are 29.5 days between full moons, four full moons occasionally get squeezed into a single season.
But the author of the “Sky and Telescope” article misintrepeted this complicated definition, declaring that a “blue moon” is actually the second full moon in a month with two full moons.
Supermoon 2014: All you need to know about this Sunday’s supermoon
Closer to the earth than it has been in over twenty years, stargazers will see a moon 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual.
As astronomers get ready for what will be a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, we give you everything you need to know about this weekend’s supermoon.
What is a supermoon?
The scientific name for a “supermoon” is a perigee moon, perigee meaning “closest point to earth”. It refers to the phenomenon when the moon is in its “full moon” stage, and at its closest point to earth during its yearly orbit. With the moon being closer, it appears far bigger and far brighter.
The summer skies will light up August, 2014 with fourth super moon of the year. A supermoon is a new or full moon that occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. That’s a generous definition, which is why there are so many supermoons!
What did astronomers call these moons before we called them supermoons?
They were called a perigee full moon, or a perigee new moon.
Perigee means “near Earth.”
There’s going to be an extra-special moon this weekend.
On Aug. 10, when the moon turns full at 2:10 p.m. EDT, skywatchers will be treated to the sight of a so-called “supermoon” — and it will be the largest supermoon of the year.
The phenomenon — any full moon that coincides with the time in the moon’s orbit when it’s closest to Earth — should be visible on Sunday night after sunset.
The August supermoon may also pair nicely with the Perseid meteor shower, which should be visible this weekend when Earth passes through the debris zone left by Comet Swift–Tuttle. The Perseids, which may offer skywatchers a view of 100 shooting stars per hour, will peak between Aug. 10 and Aug. 13.
This year was an exceptional one for supermoons, with three appearing in a row –one each in July, August and September. The next supermoon will fall on September 9, 2014.
Astronomers call this sort of close full moon a perigee full moon.
The word perigee describes the moon’s closest point to Earth for a given month. Three years ago, when the closest and largest full moon fell on March 19, 2011, many used the term supermoon, which we’d never heard before. In the following years, we heard this term again to describe the year’s closest full moon on May 6, 2012, and again on June 23, 2013. Now the term supermoon is being used a lot.
Last month’s full moon – on June 13, 2014 – was also a supermoon. But the August full moon is even more super! In other words, the time of full moon falls even closer to the time of perigee, the moon’s closest point to Earth. The crest of the moon’s full phase in August 10, and perigee, fall within the same hour.
Stargazers who missed the July 12 supermoon will have another chance to see the bright lunar phenomenon from all around the world.
The full moons of this summer, which fall on July 12, August 10 and September 9, are all supermoons, according to NASA.
The supermoon of August is one of the largest and brightest full moons of the year. The U.S. Naval Observatory says the moon will be 12% bigger and 30% brighter than it was in January 2014. In the United States, the moon will turn full on Sunday at 2:09 p.m. ET. The moon will continue to look bright and full Sunday evening, leading into Monday early morning.
Days after the supermoon, people can also watch the annual Perseids meteor shower, which peaks on August 13. But stargazers might have a hard time spotting the meteor shower. The moon’s light will wash out all but the brightest of Perseids’ meteors, according to the International Meteor Organization.
~~NAMES OF THE MONTHLY FULL MOONS – FARMERS ALMANAC~~
~~Full Wolf Moon – January~~
Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.
~~Full Snow Moon – February~~
Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February’s full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.
~~Full Worm Moon – March~~
As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled 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. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.
~~Full Pink Moon – April~~
This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
~~Full Flower Moon – May~~
In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon.
~~Full Strawberry Moon – June~~
This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!
~~The Full Buck Moon – July~~
July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon.
~~Full Sturgeon Moon – August~~
The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
~~Full Corn Moon or Full Harvest Moon – September~~
This full moon’s name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be harvested. Most often, the September full moon is actually the Harvest Moon, which is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full 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.
~~Full Hunter’s Moon or Full Harvest Moon – October~~
This full Moon is often referred to as the Full Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon, or Sanguine Moon. Many moons ago, Native Americans named this bright moon for obvious reasons. The leaves are falling from trees, the deer are fattened, and it’s time to begin storing up meat for the long winter ahead. Because the fields were traditionally reaped in late September or early October, hunters could easily see fox and other animals that come out to glean from the fallen grains. Probably because of the threat of winter looming close, the Hunter’s Moon is generally accorded with special honor, historically serving as an important feast day in both Western Europe and among many Native American tribes.
~~Full Beaver Moon – November~~
This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.
~~The Full Cold Moon or the Full Long Nights Moon – December~~
During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.
~~WHY NATIVE AMERICANS NAMED THE MOONS~~
The early Native Americans did not record time by using the months of the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Many tribes kept track of time by observing the seasons and lunar months, although there was much variability. For some tribes, the year contained 4 seasons and started at a certain season, such as spring or fall. Others counted 5 seasons to a year. Some tribes defined a year as 12 Moons, while others assigned it 13. Certain tribes that used the lunar calendar added an extra Moon every few years, to keep it in sync with the seasons.
Each tribe that did name the full Moons (and/or lunar months) had its own naming preferences. Some would use 12 names for the year while others might use 5, 6, or 7; also, certain names might change the next year. A full Moon name used by one tribe might differ from one used by another tribe for the same time period, or be the same name but represent a different time period. The name itself was often a description relating to a particular activity/event that usually occurred during that time in their location.
Colonial Americans adopted some of the Native American full Moon names and applied them to their own calendar system (primarily Julian, and later, Gregorian). Since the Gregorian calendar is the system that many in North America use today, that is how we have presented the list of Moon names, as a frame of reference. The Native American names have been listed by the month in the Gregorian calendar to which they are most closely associated.
Check out this very interesting Supermoon alignment! It’s Astronomy Fun Fact time! The summer of 2014 will be bathed in moonlight as three perigee “supermoons” occur in consecutive months: July 12, August 10, and September 9. These three occur directly before the second full lunar eclipse of 2014.
Watch as Scottie brings you this rare set of events!
~~Perigee Moon, Supermoon of August 10th 2014~~
~Super Moon – Lunar Phenomenon~
Stargazer Nation™
~~Published on Aug 10, 2014~~
Supermoon of August 10th 2014 – Super Moon!
We ALL are connected through the light of the MOON!!
‘Blood Moon:’ Red or Orange ‘Pink Full Moon’ and Lunar Eclipse (Tetrad)
Takes Place April 15
The “Blood Moon,” or a moon that can turn red or orange, is slated for April 15–along with a lunar eclipse. The rare sight from Earth is attracting a lot of attention, partly because it’s the first major celestial phenomenon since early January.
It’s also the beginning of “an extraordinary series of lunar eclipses,” according to the United States space agency, NASA. That series is four consecutive total eclipses occurring at approximately six month intervals.
After the one on April 15, another will follow on October 8 of this year.
The third is slated for April 4, 2015; and the fourth September 28, 2015.
The moon turns red on June 15, 2011, as seen from Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)
This series is referred to by experts as a lunar eclipse tetrad.
“The most unique thing about the 2014-2015 tetrad is that all of them are visible for all or parts of the USA,” said longtime NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak in a post on the agency’s website. Usually, about two lunar eclipses happen per year, but not all of them are total. Some are barely visible while others are partial eclipses.
The eclipse on April 15 will begin at 2 a.m. EDT when the edge of the Moon first enters the amber core of Earth’s shadow. Totality occurs during a 78 minute interval beginning around 3 a.m. in the morning on the east coast (midnight on the west coast).
Weather permitting, the red Moon will be easy to see across the entirety of North America.
~~Why Does the Moon Turn Red?~~
NASA explains why the moon will likely turn red.
“A quick trip to the Moon provides the answer: Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, night-side down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway.
“You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it’s not. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth’s circumference, you’re seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth’s shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb.”
The name “Blood Moon” isn’t usually identified as an official astronomical term; it comes from hunters who tracked and killed their prey by autumn moonlight, stockpiling food for the winter ahead. “You can picture them: silent figures padding through the forest, the moon overhead, pale as a corpse, its cold light betraying the creatures of the wood,” according to NASA.
Pink Moon?
Another term that is used to refer to this full moon is the Full Pink Moon.
That doesn’t refer to the moon turning pink.
Instead, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, the first full moon in April is dubbed thus. “This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring,” says the Almanac.
“Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.”
The name comes from Native Americans. It doesn’t mean the moon will be pink in color, but it refers to the color of the flowers.
~~Exploring Lunar Eclipse Tetrads~~
Over the past 5,000 years, 142 of these tetrads have occurred. Before the one that will happen this year and next year, the last one happened in 2003 and 2004. During the present millennium, the first eclipse of every tetrad occurs sometime from February to July. In later millennia, the first eclipse date gradually falls later in the year because of change in the Earth’s orbit.
NASA explains that Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli first pointed out that the frequency of tetrads varies over time. For instance, there were no tetrads from 1582 to 1908, but from 1909 to 2156 there are 17.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada says that after the upcoming tetrad, the next one will take place in 2032 and 2033. The one after that is slated for 2043 and 2044.
All told, there are slated to be six tetrads through 2091, not including the upcoming tetrad.
This full Moon appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside the villages. It is also known as the Old Moon. To some Native American tribes, this was the Snow Moon, but most applied that name to the next full Moon, in February.
At the time of this spring Moon, the ground begins to soften and earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of robins. This is also known as the Sap Moon, as it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow and the annual tapping of maple trees begins.
This full Moon heralded the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox—one of the first spring flowers. It is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon.
Bucks begin to grow new antlers at this time. This full Moon was also known as the Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month.
Some Native American tribes knew that the sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this full Moon. Others called it the Green Corn Moon.
This full Moon corresponds with the time of harvesting corn. It is also called the Barley Moon, because it is the time to harvest and thresh the ripened barley. The Harvest Moon is the full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox, which can occur in September or October and is bright enough to allow finishing all the harvest chores.
This is the month when the leaves are falling and the game is fattened. Now is the time for hunting and laying in a store of provisions for the long winter ahead. October’s Moon is also known as the Travel Moon and the Dying Moon.
For both the colonists and the Algonquin tribes, this was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. This full Moon was also called the Frost Moon.
This is the month when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark. This full Moon is also called the Long Nights Moon by some Native American tribes.
~~Under a Pink Moon~~
~~Published on Apr 27, 2013~~
The April full moon (Pink Moon).
There is a lot of symbolism associated with this moon.
There’s too much greed, hatred and anxiety in our world these days.
“Sei vorsichtig mit dem, was Du weisst. Damit beginnen Deine Probleme” 🍀 “Be careful of what you know. That’s where your troubles begin”
🌷
Wade in The 3 Body Problem
It Is What It Is 