While the Harvest Moon rings a bell in most heads, some of the other monthly lunar names are nowhere near as well known. Think pink. And worm, and strawberries and wolves. Or how about Sturgeon?
Full Moon names in the United States date back primarily to Native Americans who lived in 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 and westward 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.
Inside is a listing of all the Full Moon names, used primarily in the United States, as well as the dates and times (for the Eastern time zone) for the next twelve months.
Go to: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January 2004
Cool Lunar Cycle Facts
Some interesting calendrical facts that famed astronomical calculator Jean Meeus has compiled concerning the phases of the Moon as related to longer cycles:
>>> All the phases are cyclical, the most noteworthy being the so-called Metonic Cycle that was independently discovered by the Greek astronomer Meton (born about 460 B.C.). This is a 19 year cycle, after which time the phases of the Moon are repeated on the same days of the year, or approximately so. For instance, there is a Full Moon on March 18, 2003. Nineteen years hence, in 2022 therell be another Full Moon on March 18.
>>> Counting forward from any given phase of the Moon, the preceding phase will occur in 2 years, on or very nearly on the same calendar date. As an example, in 2003, we have a full Moon scheduled on March 18, and in 2005, the First Quarter Moon will occur on March 17.
>>> After 8 years, the same lunar phases repeat, but occurring one or two days later in the year. The Greeks called this 8-year cycle the octaeteris. Indeed, in 2011, a Full Moon occurs on March 19.
>>> Finally, in our Gregorian Calendar, 372 years provides an excellent long period cycle for the recurrence of a particular phase on a given date. Thus, we know with absolute certainty that the same Full Moon that shines down on us on March 18 of 2003 will also be shining on March 18 in the year 2375.
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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