Tag: #LookUp

Full Moon on Thursday, 28th January

The Full Wolf Moon rises on Thursday, January 28, 2021. It’s thought that January’s full Moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more often heard howling at this time. It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we know today that wolves howl for other reasons.

The Gaelic word for January, Faoilleach, comes from the term for wolves, faol-chù, even though wolves haven’t existed in Scotland for centuries. The Saxon word for January is Wulf-monath, or Wolf Month. Meanwhile, the festival of the Japanese wolf god, Ooguchi Magami, is also held in January. The Seneca tribe links the wolf so strongly to the moon, they believe that a wolf gave birth to the moon by singing it into the sky! So just why are wolves so strongly associated with January’s full moon?

The most obvious answer is because wolves are much louder and more noticeable in January, which is when breeding season begins. Wolves begin to howl more frequently and aggressively to establish their territory, threatening neighbours and enemies alike to stay far away from their breeding grounds. A small pack of wolves may even try to make themselves seem like a larger pack by howling together. While a lone wolf can sustain a howl for the duration of a single breath, an entire pack may howl in unison for longer than two minutes during breeding season. Howling and other wolf vocalizations are generally used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.

Wolves are so well-known for their tight-knit communities that the Sioux tribe called January’s full moon the Moon Where Wolves Run Together. The wolf is often seen as a symbol of loyalty and protection in many cultures. The Wolf Moon is the perfect time for you to reach out to loved ones and reaffirm your connections, in preparation for deepening your bonds and taking on new challenges together over the upcoming year. We’ve most certainly got those ahead.

Stay safe with your pack!

Scroll#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#Dorset,#FullMoon,#Farmers,#WolfMoon,#LookUp,#SocialDistancng,#SnowdropsAreUp,#StayAtHome,#StaySafe

Full Moon on Wednesday, 30th December

The last Full Moon of the decade is known as The Cold Moon. This is a Mohawk name that conveys the frigid conditions of this time of year, when cold weather truly begins to grip us. This Full Moon has also been called the Long Night Moon (Mohican), as it rose during the “longest” nights of the year.

Ancient pagans called the December Full Moon the “Moon Before Yule,” in honour of the Yuletide festival celebrating the return of the sun heralded by winter solstice.

December’s Full Moon shines above the horizon for a longer period of time than most Full Moons.  There is an old saying “If a snowstorm begins when the Moon is young, it will cease at moonrise.”

This Full Moon will rise over the horizon just before sunset on the 30th December. Until the end of the year, Jupiter and Saturn, very bright and beautiful, will still be visible just after sunset, although they sit low in the South West sky.
Throughout December, Venus in its faster orbit around the sun will be going farther and farther away from Earth but being the brightest planet, it is still visible in the morning sky.

#Broadwindsor,#ColdMoon,#LongNightMoon,#SocialDistancing,#FullMoon,#Farmers,#LookUp,#Jupiter,#Saturn,#Venus,#SocialDistancng,#December2020,#StayAtHome,#StaySafe

A Christmas Star On The Solstice

To end our chaotic year of 2020, from now until 25th December, it may look like a very bright star in the sky but in fact, it will be the conjunction of the planets Saturn and Jupiter.

Photo Credit: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Since the summer, the two planets have been approaching one another more closely than in many generations.  From Dec. 16th – 25th, the two will be separated by less than the diameter of a Full Moon.  The last time this happened, Galileo was alive.
Professor of Physics & Astronomy at Rice University, Houston, Texas, Patrick Hartigan said in a press release: “You’d have to go all the way back to just before dawn on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky.”

In reality, the planets risk no collision and it is the perspective from here on Earth that they appear so close together.

They now appear low in the Western sky for about an hour after sunset each evening.  The further North you are, the less time you will have to catch them before they fall below the horizon.

It is estimated that the planets will not be this close again until March 15, 2080, and after that, the next time will be in the year 2400.

#Broadwindsor,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#Astronomy,#NeildeGrasseTyson,#ChristmasStar,#TwinkleTwinkleLittleStar,#LookUp,#SocialDistancing,#BeKind,#StaySafe

Full Moon on Monday, 30th November

This month’s Full Moon is known as the Beaver Moon. So called as this was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes referred to as the Frosty Moon – no explanation required there!

#Broadwindsor,#BeaverMoon,#FrostyMoon,#SocialDistancing,#FullMoon,#Farmers,#LookUp,#SocialDistancng,#StayAtHome,#StaySafe

Blue Full Moon on Hallowe’en

This Saturday we will see the second Full Moon of this month which gives it the name of a Blue Moon. The Moon does not appear blue in colour.  What makes this event even rarer is that it will be seen in all parts of the world on Hallowe’en for the first time since World War II.

The entire 21st Century will see only six Halloween Full Moons: 2001, 2020, 2039, 2058, 2077, and 2096.

This Full Moon is known as The Hunter’s Moon or by others, Blood Moon. Traditionally, this time included hunting, slaughtering and preserving meats for use in the winter months ahead.

#Broadwindsor,#WestDorset,#HuntersMoon,#BlueMoon,#SocialDistancing,#FullMoon,#Farmers,#NightSky,#LookUp,#StaySafe

Draconids & Orionids Meteor Showers This Month

Named after Draco, the dragon constellation, the Draconid meteor shower is at its peak tonight and tomorrow evening.  Rather than wait until the wee small hours of the night, the Draconids are best seen in the evening, after nightfall, looking North. You do have to be patient as there are only about 5 per hour.

OrionFar more illuminating are the Orionids which have already begun but reach their peak on 20th/21st October. The meteors from the Orionids are dust and debris left behind by Halley’s Comet. Orion is a relatively easy constellation to find in our autumn and winter skies – it is in the Southeast at early evening and bright and high in the South by mid-to-late evening. It is also easily recognisable by the three bright stars that form the “belt of Orion,” The meteor shower appears to come from the constellation of Orion but they can be seen in the sky from all directions, without the need for binoculars or a telescope. The Moon will just be in the first quarter so the bright shower will be clearer to see. The Orionids are one of the most reliable meteor showers each year. One can usually see about 25 per hour.
All, of course, is weather dependant!

#Broadwindsor,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#MeteorShower,#Draconids,#Orionids,#TwinkleTwinkleLittleStar,#LookUp,#SocialDistancing,#BeKind,#StaySafe

Full Moon on Thursday, October 1st

The first of two Full Moons this month, this is the Harvest Moon.

Most years, the Harvest Moon occurs in September but approximately every 3 years it occurs in October. The majority of sources state that the Full Moon names originate from ancient Native American tradition. There are others who point out that Harvest month was recorded as early as in the 700’s in both Anglo-Saxon and Old High German languages.

As the Moon rises from the horizon around sunset, it may appear larger and more orange which is quite apt for the season. It’s the location of the moon near the horizon that causes the Harvest Moon – or any full moon – to look big and orange in colour.  For several evenings, the moonrise comes soon after sunset. This creates an abundance of bright moonlight early in the evening, which was a traditional aide to farmers and crews harvesting their summer-grown crops. Hence, the ‘Harvest’ Moon.

#Broadwindsor,#HarvestMoon,#SocialDistancing,#FullMoon,#Farmers,#LookUp,#StaySafe

 

Full Moon on Wednesday, September 2nd

September’s Full Moon is the Corn Moon,  also known as the Barley Moon.
This year’s Harvest Moon will occur in October, on the 1st and will be the first of two full Moons: the other on the 31st (the Hunter’s Moon and a Blue Moon, too)!
The full Moon that happens nearest to the Autumnal equinox (September 22 or 23) always takes on the name “Harvest Moon”.

Most of the names for the Moons come from the Native Americans and colonial times and tracked the seasons.  Other Indian tribes would refer to this moon as

  • “Moon When the Plums Are Scarlet” by the Lakota Sioux.
  • “Moon When the Deer Paw the Earth” by the Omaha.
  • “Moon When the Calves Grow Hair” by the Sioux.

September’s Full Moon is also a Micromoon – this is when a New Moon or a Full Moon coincide with the point in the Moon’s orbit farthest away from Earth.

#Broadwindsor #CornMoon #SocialDistancing #FullMoon #Micromoon #LookUp #StaySafe

Lammas on 1st & Full Moon on 3rd

Lammas is celebrated on August 1st and is the first of the three harvest festivals (the Autumnal Equinox and Samhain being the others). The first fruits of summer are enjoyed. There are many festivals and ceremonies but throughout, there is a custom of climbing hills and mountains – we have Lewesdon hill our our doorstep 🙂

August’s Full Moon is on Monday, 3rd and is known as the Sturgeon Moon.  So called because the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain in North America were most readily caught during this part of summer. It is also referred to as Full Green Corn Moon, signalling that the corn was nearly ready for harvest, Grain Moon, Fruit Moon, Barley Moon. Wheat Cut Moon, and Blueberry Moon.*

The word “sturgeon” means “the stirrer”, which is what this giant freshwater fish does when it is looking for food; it stirs up the mud and silt on river and lake bottoms.  The sturgeon is sometimes called a “living fossil,” as it belongs to a family of fish that has existed for more than 135 million years.
SturgeonIn ancient times, it was common to track the changing seasons by following the lunar month rather than the solar year, which the 12 months in our modern Gregorian calendar are based on.

*For millennia, people across Europe, as well as the Native American tribes, named the months after features they associated with the Northern Hemisphere seasons, and many of these names are very similar or identical.

#Broadwindsor #Dorset #WestDorset #Lammas #FullMoon #Sturgeon #LookUp #FirstFruits #Harvest #Celebration #StaySafe

 

 

Comet Neowise & Perseids

It’s your last chance to catch Comet Neowise before it goes back into the outer solar system and doesn’t reappear until 6,800 years!
The comet is currently about as bright as Polaris, the North Star, and can be observed in dark skies without the aid of a telescope or binoculars. Look East. The comet will appear underneath the Plough constellation, and just above the horizon. By the weekend, the comet will have moved so that it is directly underneath the Plough, as it moves further westwards and slightly higher on our horizon every night.

The beautiful photograph shows Comet Neowise behind St. John the Baptist Church in Broadwindsor. Photo credit: Jamie Dawson.

In our dark sky, there’s the chance you’ll see shooting stars too. These are the Perseids and these will be increasing each night until their peak on 11th/12th/13th August.  The Perseids tend to be very bright, so you can still expect a good percentage to overcome the moonlit glare.
In ancient Greek star lore, Perseus is the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Danaë. It is said that the Perseid shower commemorates the time when Zeus visited Danaë, the mother of Perseus, in a shower of gold.

 

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