Sunday, July 13, 2014

Last Night's Full Buck Moon

Christian Science Monitor:
If skies are clear in your part of the world tonight, you’ll be able to see something called a “Full Buck Moon.”
That’s a full moon rising and setting at the time of year when bucks – male deer – typically begin to grow their new antlers, starting with velvety bumps on their foreheads.
“Full moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States,” explains SPACE.com skywatching columnist Joe Rao. “Those tribes of a few hundred years ago 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.”
The full moon names and dates for 2014 include: Full Wolf Moon Jan. 15, Full Snow Moon Feb. 14, Full Worm Moon Mar. 16, Full Pink Moon Apr. 15, Full Flower Moon May 14, Full Strawberry Moon June 13, Full Buck Moon July 12, Full Sturgeon Moon Aug. 10, Full Harvest Moon Sept. 8, Full Hunters’ Moon Oct. 8, Full Beaver Moon Nov. 6, and Full Cold Moon Dec. 6.
July’s full moon was also called “Thunder Moon” because it occurred at the time of year when thunderstorms are frequent.
I generally only see these names in The Old Farmer's Almanac.

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