The Names of the Full Moon for 2010

Full Moon Names for 2010
By Joe Rao
SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
posted: 27 January 2010
07:20 am ET

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/full-moon-names-2010-100127.html

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.

There were some variations in the moon names, but in general the same ones were current 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 ("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 2010. Unless otherwise noted, all times are for the Eastern Time Zone.

January 30, 1:18 a.m. EST -- 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. The Moon will also arrive at perigee (it's closest point to Earth on its non-circular orbit) less than three hours later, at 4:04 a.m. EST at a distance of 221,577 mi. (356,593 km.) from Earth. So this is the biggest full moon of 2010. Very high ocean tides can be expected during the next two or three days, thanks to the coincidence of perigee with full moon.

February 28, 11:38 a.m. EST -- 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 29, 10:25 p.m. EDT -- 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. In 2010 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 six days later on Sunday, April 4.

April 28, 8:18 a.m. EDT -- Full Pink Moon. The grass pink or wild ground 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.

May 27, 7:07 p.m. EDT -- Full Flower Moon. Flowers are now abundant everywhere. It was also known as the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.
June 26, 7:30 a.m. EDT -- Full Strawberry Moon. Strawberry picking season peaks during this month. Europeans called this the Rose Moon. There will be also be a Partial Lunar Eclipse that coincides with moonset from the western and central sections of the US and Canada and coincides with moonrise for parts of eastern Asia. At its maximum the Moon will be overhead for observers in the South Pacific;nearly 54-percent of the Moon's diameter will become immersed in the Earth's dark umbral shadow.

July 25, 9:37 p.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 it's also called the Full Hay Moon.

August 24, 1:05 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 when the moon rises it looks reddish through sultry haze, or the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon. Since the Moon arrives at apogee about 12 hours later, this will also be the smallest full moon of 2010. In terms of apparent size, it will appear 12.3-percent smaller than the full Moon of Jan. 30.

September 23, 5:17 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) 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.

October 22, 9:36 p.m. EDT -- 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.
November 21, 12:27 p.m. EST -- 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 come from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter. It's also called the Frosty Moon.
December 21, 3:13 a.m. EST -- 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 sky because it's diametrically opposite to the low Sun. In fact, the moment of the Winter Solstice comes just over 15 hours after this full moon, at 6:38 p.m. EST.
Last, but certainly not least, this will also be the night of a Total Lunar Eclipse. North Americans will have a ringside seat for this event (totality will last 73-minutes) and, depending on your location, will take place either during the middle of the night or during the predawn hours. Observers in Western Europe and western Africa will see the opening stages of the eclipse before the Moon sets; South Americans will see the Moon set either during the total phase or as the Moon emerges from the shadow. At mid-eclipse, the Moon will appear almost directly overhead for observers in southern California and Baja Mexico.

Learning About Tonight's Moon

Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of 2010 Tonight
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100129/sc_space/biggestandbrightestfullmoonof2010tonight/print

Robert Roy Britt
Editorial Director
SPACE.com Robert Roy Britt
editorial Director
space.com Fri Jan 29, 7:45 am ET

Tonight's full moon will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. It offers anyone with clear skies an opportunity to identify easy-to-see features on the moon.

This being the first full moon of 2010, it is also known as the wolf moon, a moniker dating back to Native American culture and the notion that hungry wolves howled at the full moon on cold winter nights. Each month brings another full moon name.
But why will this moon be bigger than others? Here's how the moon works:
The moon is, on average, 238,855 miles (384,400 km) from Earth. The moon's orbit around Earth – which causes it to go through all its phases once every 29.5 days – is not a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse. One side of the orbit is 31,070 miles (50,000 km) closer than the other.

So in each orbit, the moon reaches this closest point to us, called perigee. Once or twice a year, perigee coincides with a full moon, as it will tonight, making the moon bigger and brighter than any other full moons during the year.
Tonight it will be about 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than lesser full Moons of the year, according to Spaceweather.com.
As a bonus, Mars will be just to the left of the moon tonight. Look for the reddish, star-like object.

Full moon craziness
Many people think full moons cause strange behavior among animals and even humans. In fact several studies over the years have tried to tie lunar phases to births, heart attacks, deaths, suicides, violence, psychiatric hospital admissions and epileptic seizures, and more. Connections have been inclusive or nonexistent.

The moon does have some odd effects on our planet, and there are oodles of other amazing moon facts and misconceptions:
A full moon at perigee also brings higher ocean tides. This tug of the moon on Earth also creates tides in the planet's crust, not just in the oceans.

Beaches are more polluted during full moon, owing to the higher tides.
In reality, there's no such thing as a full moon. The full moon occurs when the sun, Earth and the moon are all lined up, almost. If they're perfectly aligned, Earth casts a shadow on the moon and there's a total lunar eclipse. So during what we call a full moon, the moon's face is actually slightly less than 100 percent illuminated.
The moon is moving away as you read this, by about 1.6 inches (4 cm) a year.

The moon illusion
Finally, be sure to get out and see the full moon as it rises, right around sunset. Along the horizon, the moon tends to seem even bigger. This is just an illusion.
You can prove to yourself that this is an illusion. Taking a small object such as a pencil eraser, hold it at arm's length, and compare its size to that of the moon just as it rises. Then repeat the experiment later in the night and you'll see that the moon compares the same in both cases. Alternately, snap two photos of the moon, with a digital camera or your cell phone, when the moon is near the horizon and later when it's higher in the sky. Pull both photos up on your computer screen and make a side-by-side comparison.

Astronomers and psychologists agree the moon illusion is just that, but they don't agree on how to explain it.

Full Moon Wolf Moon Tonight

This is almost exactly what the moon looked like this morning when I went out at 5:15 am to get the newspapers.

Yesterday, John came home from work with stories!

First, he almost got hit making a left turn onto the freeway entrance when a guy coming the other direction sped through a red light. The guy in front of John who was also attempting the left turn slammed on his brakes and John also slammed on his brakes but still nicked the car in front of him. John said if he was the car in front of him, he would have been hit (and creamed since he was in our little red Suzuki), because he would not have been able to slam on his breaks that fast. John said his reaction time is bad. So we are grateful.

Also...at school, the discipline problems were mighty...and unrelenting all day. "Even the sweet little LDS primary age girl-6th grader- was swearing at her gym classmates." The principal attributed it to the full moon.

Indeed, last night was a gorgeous bright almost completely full moon in a deep blue sky at dusk. This morning it was even more dramatic..it hung low in the west, big and white and round with fuzzy edges smeared by clouds...it was a classic scene! So I read today that tonight is the actual real full moon! Every full moon has aname...WHO knew? Tonight's moon for 2010 is named Wolf Moon. (Native American custom...I love it!)

Shorweood High School Lip Dub

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/12/high-school-lip-dub-video-get-famous-by-going-backward-.html

If you go to this site and click on the actual video...which is also found on youtube...you will see one cool school! Cool in that there is great school spirit and creativity and fun. We heard about this on the Rachel Ray show today and they had 2 guys from the school on it....cool!

Cool School, Cool Idea

Teacher Keisch Wilson greets "Team" members Terrill Jones, left, Keymarian Washington and Bruce Palmore, who returned to Blair for an assembly. Also honored was Tevin Jones, Terrill's twin, who is not pictured. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times / December 14, 2009)

latimes.com/news/local/la-me-grads4-2010jan04,0,497712.story
latimes.com
Four Blair High graduates team up to succeed at college

All are freshmen at Langston University. They support one another on campus and offer inspiration to younger students at their alma mater.

By Seema Mehta

January 4, 2010
When Keymarian Washington was in eighth grade, he was shot at while hanging out with gang members on a Pasadena street. By Bruce Palmore's sophomore year, his father feared that his son's poor grades and lack of motivation meant he would never finish high school, much less make it to college. Tevin and Terrill Jones grew up in a South Los Angeles neighborhood they said was dominated by gangs, violence and negativity.

The four young men met up at Blair International Baccalaureate School in Pasadena, where they graduated with high enough grades to attend a four-year university. Now, the four are being hailed as role models, particularly for other young African American male students.

Assistant Principal Mark Greene said the four friends, who have been dubbed "The Team," are an inspiration for Blair students.

"They see the alumni who are just like them, friends from the same neighborhood, and that gives them confidence," he said. "They know they can do it."

Their story wasn't always so optimistic. During high school, Palmore was drifting. His father, also named Bruce Palmore, an accountant who had been a member of Phi Beta Sigma in college, worried that his son was hanging out with the wrong crowd. He also worried that among African American teenagers, particularly males, there was not enough value placed on education. College attendance rates for black men lag behind rates for most other groups.

Hoping to inspire him, the father took the teen to a fraternity event. The young man was intrigued by a step show, a synchronized, percussive dance traditionally performed by African American sororities and fraternities, and decided that he wanted to start a chapter of the group's program for kindergarten-through-12th-grade students, Sigma Beta.

He started the group at Blair, recruited members and made new friends. By his senior year, he was earning a 3.7 grade-point average.

"The first six months, I could see this whole attitude change," his father said. "By senior year, he was actually a completely different person. His inner spirit was completely different."

As the Sigma Betas attended college fairs, visited college campuses and did community service projects, their friendship grew into a tight brotherhood. Palmore, the Jones brothers and Washington made a pledge: Not only would they graduate from high school and go to college, they would go together, to keep supporting one another. Palmore and the twins graduated from Blair in 2009; Washington graduated in 2008 and completed a year of community college.

"We're just going to carry each other through college, no matter how hard it's going to get," said Palmore, a computer-science major. "There are going to be obstacles. We're going to face them together."

The boys got help with the admissions and financial aid application process from mentors, including Foundation 44, a group created at Blair that aimed to get all 44 black seniors in the class of 2009 into a four-year university -- 38 made it -- and the nonprofit Smart Kids Pasadena.

The four friends settled on Langston University, a small, historically black college which offers majors that interested all four. The university is in a small town in Oklahoma, where Palmore, now 18, figured he and his friends could focus on their studies while staying out of trouble.

Moving to Langston, Okla., has been an adjustment -- the teenagers had never seen armadillos or deer before, and the weather was unlike the climate in which they were raised.

"When we first got there, there was lightening and thunder. That was scary," Palmore said. "The thunder was so strong it felt like an earthquake. . . . We didn't know what it was."

Washington added: "It's way different, nothing but land and cows and horses. No buildings, no mountains. You can see the stars more clearly."

The college freshmen have been completing "piles" of homework and trying to keep one another motivated.

"When one says, 'I don't want to do homework,' we say, 'We're not going anywhere until you do it," said Washington, a 19-year-old computer science major.

Their decision to attend Langston together created a ready-made support network for the boys, three of whom are the first in their families to attend college.

"The deepest fears were that we were leaving home, actually going and doing what a lot of kids we grew up around don't do," said Tevin Jones, 18, a biology major who wants to be a heart transplant surgeon. Jones and his twin brother were attending Blair on a permit, making a 45-minute commute each way from South L.A.

Terrill Jones, 18, said he went from having one brother to having three.

"It helped me a lot," said the business management major who wants to open a chain of restaurants in his hometown. "I have more people to rely on and to help out if they need help. I just love having them around."

The young men's story got around on campus after University President JoAnn W. Haysbert met Tevin Jones at a lunch in September. He told her about the group, and she met the others. She told them about "The Pact," a book about three black men who grew up in Newark, N.J., and pledged to go to medical school together. They succeeded; two are doctors and one is a dentist. Haysbert named the Blair alumni "The Team" and bought them copies of the book.

"We hope that individuals, families and African American men around the country will see the story of 'The Team' and be inspired that they too can come to Langston University, and I would dare say any university, but I'm recruiting for Langston University," Haysbert said. "I hope that 'The Team' will be able not only to achieve their goals but will be a messenger to others that you to can do the same thing."

When the four men returned to Southern California for winter break, they were greeted as heroes at their alma mater. During a holiday assembly last month, hundreds of students roared when the four took to the darkened basketball court in charcoal suits and ties sporting Langston University's orange and navy blue colors.

"I sat where you sat," Tevin Jones said. "You can do this."

seema.mehta@latimes.com

Electric Guitar

John bought this at Ross for 30 bucks yesterday