FULL
MOONS 2008
Come walk by the light of the moon and see your moon
shadow!
Bring a flashlight to guide you up to the labyrinth.
Full
Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and
eastern United States. 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.
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Jun. 18, 1:30 p.m. EDT — Full Strawberry Moon. Known to every Algonquin
tribe. Europeans called it the Rose Moon.
Jul. 18, 3:59 a.m. EDT — Full Buck Moon, 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 being now most frequent.
Sometimes also called the Full Hay Moon.
Aug. 16, 5:16 p.m. EDT — Full Sturgeon Moon, when this large fish of the
Great Lakes and other major bodies of water like Lake Champlain is most
readily caught. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because the moon
rises looking reddish through sultry haze, or the Green Corn Moon or Grain
Moon. There will be a Partial Lunar Eclipse that will be visible from
Europe, Africa and the western two-thirds of Asia with this full moon. At
its maximum 81 percent of the moon's diameter will become immersed in the
Earth's dark umbral shadow.
Sep. 15, 5:13 a.m. EDT — 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) about
every three or four years 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 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.
Oct. 14, 4:02 p.m. EDT — Full Hunters' Moon. With the leaves falling and
the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped,
hunters can ride over the stubble, and can more easily see the fox, along
with other animals, which have come out to glean and can be caught for a
thanksgiving banquet after the harvest.
Nov. 13, 1:17 a.m. EST — Full Beaver Moon. 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 come from the fact
that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter. Also called
the Frosty Moon.
Dec. 12, 11:37 a.m. EST — Full Cold Moon; among some tribes, the Full Long
Nights Moon. In this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and the nights
are at their longest and darkest. 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 the moon is above the horizon a long
time. The midwinter full moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because
it is opposite to the low Sun. The moon will also be at perigee later this
day, at 5:00 p.m. EST, at a distance of 221,560 mi. (356,566 km.) from
Earth. Very high ocean tides can be expected from the coincidence of perigee
with full moon.
Redsun
Labyrinth
1802
Pleasant View Drive
Victor
MT 59875
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