1 May 2014
ATTENTION: There will be a Full Eclipse of the Moon on October 7-8, 2014. This is the
second full eclipse of the moon of a “tetrad.” A tetrad is a series of 4
eclipses of the moon each of which is spaced exactly 6 months apart. The
first eclipse of the tetrad happened on April 14-15, 2014 and got the
popular name “blood moon.” The 3rd eclipse of the tetrad will happen
on April 4, 2015.
The Short Answer (TSA)
For many of us, the Harvest Moon is a series of orange
moons, full or near full, that appear in August and September of each year.
But the “technical” Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the fall (or
“autumnal” equinox). This equinox is the first day of autumn and falls on, or
around, September 21st of each year. When we say “closest” to the first day of
autumn, we mean the full moon closest before, or after, the first day of
autumn.
Now, for the Hunter’s Moon.
The Hunter’s Moon is the first full moon after the Harvest
Moon. If you are interested, the Harvest and Hunter’s Moon’s are unique in a
rather technical way. Usually, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day
because of the speed of the Moon’s rotation around the earth. But that period
becomes shorter in the fall. During the time of both the Harvest and
Hunter’s Moon, the moon rises only about 30 minutes later each day. This is
something you or I aren’t very likely to notice, but it’s part of the technical
definition of these “moons.”
There appears to be at least one reference to the Hunter’s
Moon in England in the early 18th Century. But, in America, the name “Hunter’s
Moon” is said to be of Native American origin. The city of Lafayette, Indiana
holds a yearly festival in late September or early October called the “Feast of
the Hunters’ Moon.”
By the way, is it "Hunter’s" or "Hunters’" Moon? I’m not sure.
The actual full moon seems to be written Hunter’s, but the Feast is written
Hunters’.
M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri & Belleville,
Illinois\
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