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
the full Moon names, as well as the dates and times for 2007. Unless otherwise
noted, all times are for the Eastern Time Zone.
Jan. 3, 8:57 a.m. EST - The 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.
Feb. 2, 12:45 a.m. EST
- The 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 3, 6:17 p.m. EST
- The 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. A total lunar eclipse
will take place on this night; the Moon will appear to rise will totally
immersed (or nearly so) in the Earth's shadow over the eastern United States.
The rising Moon will be emerging from the shadow over the central United
States, while over the Western U.S. the eclipse will be all but over by the
time the Moon rises.
April 2, 1:15 p.m. EDT
- The 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 came upstream to
spawn. 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 8.
May 2, 6:09 a.m. EDT - The Full Flower Moon. Flowers are abundant
everywhere. It was also known as the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.
May 31, 9:04 p.m. EDT -
The Blue Moon. The second
full Moon occurring within a calendar month is usually bestowed this title.
Although the name suggests
that to have two Full Moons in a single month is a rather rare occurrence
(happening "just once in a . . . "), it actually occurs once about every three
years on average.
June 30, 9:49 a.m. EDT
- The Full Strawberry Moon. Known
to every Algonquin tribe. Europeans called it the Rose Moon.
July 29, 8:48 p.m. EDT
- The 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. 28, 6:35 a.m. EDT
- The 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. A total lunar
eclipse will coincide with moonset for the eastern United States. The
Central and Mountain Time Zones will see the Moon's emergence coincide with
moonset, while the western United States will see the entire eclipse.
Sept. 26, 3:45 p.m. EDT
- The Full Harvest Moon. Always
the full Moon occurring nearest to the Autumnal Equinox.
Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice-- the chief Indian staples--are now
ready for gathering.
Oct. 26, 12:52 a.m. EDT
- The Full Hunter's 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, also other animals that have come out to glean and can be caught for a
thanksgiving banquet after the harvest. The Moon will also be at perigee later
this day, at 7:00 a.m., at a distance of 221,676 miles from Earth. Very high
tides can be expected from the coincidence of perigee with full Moon.
Nov. 24, 9:30 a.m. EST
- The 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 comes
from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter.
Also called the Frosty Moon.
Dec. 23, 2:51 a.m. EST - The 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" (Yule is Christmas, and this time the Moon is only just before it). 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.
Joe Rao serves as an
instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about
astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an
on-camera meteorologist for News 12
Westchester, New York.
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