July full moon is a supermoon because it is so close to Earth. (J Jacobs photo)
If up and about the night of July 13, 2022 you likely had a bright light shining into you abode. It is best “supermoon” of 2022. But if the weather was bad, don’t worry. It still looks large and bright through Friday morning even though its full phase and peak illumination was July 13 at 2:38 p.m. EDT.
This July full moon appears larger than normal because its orbit brings it close to planet Earth. NASA’s Full Moon guide xxplains that astrologer Richard Nolle used the term “supermoon” in 1979 for a new or full moon within 90 Percent of perigee as its closest approach to Earth.
In other words, a supermoon looks larger but isn’t.
Full moons have been given names by Native Americans, Europeans and other groups usually according to nature, rituals, farm life and animal behavior. July’s full moon is often known as the “Buck” full moon.
A good place to get more name infomation is the Old Farmer’s Almanac. It has a video that also talks about what has been left on the moon.
You won’t need special eye gear to watch an eclipse when Sunday, May 15, 2022 becomes Monday, May 16.
If following the names of full moons each month, you know they reflect the season and nature whether in Native Indian, European or religious context. So, you won’t be surprised that May’s full moon is also called the Flower Moon. Other names of the May full moon are Corn Moon and Milk Moon.
But, the full moon for May 2022 is also called the Blood Moon.
Watch the May Moon start out as a large, silvery somewhat yellowish (depending on where you are and your atmosphere), full-sized globe when it appears on your horizon.
It will seem larger than usual even though it hasn’t changed shape. The full moon is close to being a Supermoon because its orbit brings it so close to earth.
Keep watching to experience a lunar eclipse.
As it rises, it will move into Earth’s shadow. Remember at the height of a full eclipse you’ll have the Sun, Earth and Moon in a direct line.
It starts out in the penumbral, somewhat less noticeable phase, because the full May Moon is in the lighter part of the Earth’s shadow. It moves into our planet’s partial shadow at 9:32 p.m. EDT.
Watch as it looks as if a bite is being taken out of the Moon as it is in partial eclipse stage. The Moon will then move into the Earth’s full shadow for more than an hour: 11:29 p.m. on Sunday night until 12:54 a.m. Monday morning. The eclipse reaches its peak at 12:11 a.m. At the back end, the partial eclipse ends at May 16 at 1:55 a.m. EDT.
Its reddish, brownish color happens as the Earth’s atmosphere refracts some light from the sunrise and sunset conditions around our planet.
To find the sunrise and sunset times in your area visit the Old Farmer’s Almanac which has a site calculator. Your time zone matters if watching the eclipse.
For more May Moon information visit NASA . For the area covered by the eclipse see EarthSky. For information on how the lunar eclipse fits with April’s recent partial solar eclipse visit Space.
April’s Full Moon is the Pink Moon ( J Jacobs photo)
Start seeing what looks like a full moon on Friday. Full moons tend to look full just before their date and the day afterwards.
In 2022, April’s full moon reaches total illumination at 1:55 p.m. EDT on Saturday the 16th and will continue to appear full on Sunday. It is not a SuperMoon. The moon will appear to be larger the morning of April 19 when it will be at its perigee (closest to Earth) at 11:14 EDT.
Known as the Pink Moon, the April full moon derives its name from the season when pink creeping (moss) phlox bloom and not from an atmospheric moon color.
As with other full moon names, it echoes what is happening in nature so other names range from Breaking Ice Moon to Awakening Moon.
March’s full moon, which fell before the Spring Equinox was called the Worm Moon when worms emerge in early Spring.
But the March and April Full Moons can be the Paschal Moon depending on when the full moon falls: before or after the Spring Equinox.
The Paschal Moon is often used to determine the Easter date. So, the moon in March or April can be called the Paschal Moon. Visit the Old Farmer’s Almanac for more information on the Spring Equinox and April Full Moon. Also see Time and Date on How Easter is Determined.
The April full moon is also the Pesach Moon for the Jewish feast of Passover which begins at sundown April 15 and is celebrated with Seders on the first two evenings. Paschal is a Latinized word for Pesach.
March full moon designates Spring (J Jacobs photo)
Spring is in the air so earthworms are making their way through formerly frozen ground. Thus the March full moon is called the Worm Moon, right?
Appearing bright above the horizon on March 18 and having reached full illumination at 3:20 a.m. EDT, that day, it is the last of the winter season’s full moons.
Don’t worry if you missed snapping a photo. The moon will seem full for three days. However, if putting the photo on social media. you might want to know there is a backstory to the “worm” name.
But what may be the worm’s story behind the name?
The Old Farmer’s Almanac says the earthworm idea sounds good but that when Captain Jonathan Carver was visiting Native American tribes in the 1760s, he learned from them that Worm Moon actually referred to the beetle larvae type “worm” that emerged from winter homes such as tree bark during the spring thaw.
Worm isn’t the only name. References also list other creatures such as eagle and crow plus natural phenomenon such as sap and sugar.
Timing is also important. When the Spring or Vernal Equinox falls determines if the March full moon is called the Lenten Moon which comes before the equinox or the Paschal Moon if after it.
In 2022, the Spring Equinox is March 20. Time and Date references the Astronomical beginning of Spring and other popular names.
If you follow meteorlogical seasons, you know Spring started March 1 and goes to May 31.
February Full Moon is the Snow Moon ( J Jacobs photo)
In Chicago, moon gazers won’t be surprised to learn the February full moon is called the Snow Moon. Weather forecasters are predicting rain turns to snow Wednesday night into Thursday as temperatures go below freezing.
The full moon will be at its highest illumination between 10:56 and 10:59 a.m. CST on Feb. 16 when it will be directly opposite the sun. But it will look full for three days from February 15 through Feb. 17. So, look after sunset this week.
The February moon is also called the hunger moon because winter can be harsh on food sources.
January full moon is the Wolf Moon J Jacobs photo)
If you like taking photos of a full moon, get those cameras or cell phones ready Jan. 16 through Jan.18 to snap the first full moon of 2022.
Even though the moon at its fullest illumination Jan. 17 at 23.48 UTC (5:48 p.m. CST), it will appear full the day before and day after Jan. 17.
A newscaster mentioned that Jan. 17-18 marks a halfway point for winter. Well, that depends.
Meteorological winter started Dec. 1 and continues through the end of February because the meteorological seasons are divided into quarters of three months each. In the Northern Hemisphere meteorological spring is March, April May.
A sky watching site mentioned that the last full moon was Dec. 19, 2021, two days before the Northern Hemisphere’s December solstice. For 2022, astronomical winter began December 21, 2021 and ends at the Equinox, March 20, 2022. Time and Date has a calendar.
The astronomical calendar is based on the Earth’s rotation around the sun with seasons divided by two solstices and two equinoxes, determined by a combination of Earth’s tilt and the sun’s position over the equator.
Another feature of a full moon is its name. Folklore, typically based on animal behavior and crop cycles, calls the January full moon the Snow Moon, Hunger Moon and, most popularly, the Wolf Moon.
Animal behavior is also behind Groundhog Day. Just for fun, on Feb. 2, check out groundhog predictions of winter’s end from Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania and Woodstock Willie in Woodstock, IL (where “Groundhog Day” was filmed).
Don’t be surprised if a bright light wakes you this weekend. The December full moon rises very high in the sky opposite the sun at 10:36 p.m. CST Dec. 18, 2021. But the shining orb looks full and bright Friday through Monday.
In the eastern part of the northern hemisphere the high moon hour is close enough to midnight to be considered a Sunday full moon. Click Moonrise Calculator for time in your area. You can watch for the full moon just before sunset.
The December full moon has several nicknames such as the Long Night Moon and Full Cold Moon because it comes closest to the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21,2021). It marks the start of winter and is the date with the longest period of darkness. The December full moon also has a very high trajectory so it will be in the sky longer.
Other names are the Yule Moon, Winter Moon, Frost Moon and Oak Moon.
The mid-November sky is full of interesting phenomena to see if you are patient.
First challenge: Watch for the Leonids, a November meteor shower from the Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle debris. The Leonids can be prolific but this year only about 10 to 15 meteors are expected even at its peak Nov. 16-17.
Best time will be early Wednesday morning just before dawn when the waxing gibbous moon, on its way to full moon phase, sets about 4:45 a.m.
Which brings us to the second challenge: a full moon coupled with a lunar eclipse. November’s full moon is the Beaver Moon which in 2021 reaches full phase at 3:59 a.m. Nov. 19 at the height of a nearly full lunar eclipse.
So enjoy its fullness the day before and day after (the moon appears full for three days) because we will also be experiencing the longest lasting lunar eclipse in 580 years.
That’s because the moon will be at its slowest orbital speed at the same time it will be at apogee, the farthest point from the Earth.
Its all about the Earth’s shadow on Nov. 19 when the moon’s position is just about directly opposite the Sun.
In the Midwest you can start to watch the eclipse just after midnight but it won’t be as noticeable until an hour later.
At the peak of eclipse at 4:02:53 a.m. Eastern Time, 97% of the Moon will be in full shadow.
More about the Beaver Moon The Old Farmer’s Almanac suggests looking for the full moon after sunset Nov. 18 before its hits peak illumination during the eclipse early Friday morning. The Almanac has a moonrise and moonset calculator.
Full moons typically take their name from Indian and farming events and seasons. Beavers have been known to have laid up their stock for winter and done building their homes by mid November.
Full Moon in September is the Harvest Moon. ( J Jacobs photo)
You might not have heard of the Sturgeon Moon in August or the Buck Moon in July but chances are you’ve heard of the Harvest Moon that is appearing overhead now in September.
It’s more than just a popular song.
Harvest Moon is the name some cultures, native tribes and farmers have given to the full moon that usually appears mid to late September because it rises when the sun goes down thus giving famers more light to get the crops in.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the September autumnal equinox. In 2021 that comes Sept. 22 when day and night are about equal in length. (It comes in March in the Southern Hemisphere)
You probably noticed that large golden orb already appearing above the horizon. It will be fullest and brightest Sept. 20, about 6:45 p.m. CDT. but will also appear full the following day.
If listening to TV weather reports, you are likely to hear meteorologists referencing the date as the beginning of autumnal fall but adding that meteorological fall began about 3 weeks before the September equinox on Sept. 1.
Autumnal fall ends at the December Solstice, when astronomical winter begins. but for meteorologists the fall season ends Nov. 30.
Full moon over Chicago’s northern suburbs. 9J Jacobs photo)
Enjoy our bright sky light all weekend. The moon will appear full Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021 but it really will be opposite the sun Sunday morning at 8:02 a.m. and even look full on Monday.
According to the Farmer’s almanac the Algonquin tribes in the northeastern states called the August full moon the Sturgeon Moon because these fish were usually more easily caught in the Great Lakes then.
A rather ugly, large fish, sturgeon ancestors date back to the time dinosaurs roamed the region. The Grand Rapids Public Museum has a permanent exhibit about these Great Lake fish.
But the August Moon is also called a blue moon even though that definition typically refers to two full moons in one month. In this case the referral is to full moons in one season.
