Duane A. Lienemann,UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County October 14, 2011 Edition
One cannot help but notice the noon this week. I have heard several people comment on how beautiful it is – yet alone the weather. I overheard a couple of people commenting on this must be the Harvest Moon. Now I don’t even pretend to be an expert on the moon, or signs of the moon and I never could do the moon walk, but I was pretty certain that the Harvest Moon was last month. Now it makes perfect sense since we are right in the heart of harvest season, but those that know me will know that I had to go look it up to make certain. I don’t often say – I told you so---but in this case I was right. 
The name is also said to have been used by Native Americans as they tracked and killed their prey by autumn moonlight, stockpiling food for the winter ahead. Given the history of the Pawnee and Sioux tribes that frequented our land this explanation works for me too. I cannot help but let my mind picture a small band of warriors, with bows and arrows in hand, sneaking up on some deer which are highlighted by this Hunters moon. Gosh, with all of these deer running through the country it wouldn’t hurt to bring back some of that history.
I know that this moon seems extra bright and to have rather different characteristics than usual. Some think the Hunter’s and Harvest Moons are the biggest full moons of the year. But not so with this week’s Hunter’s Moon, which is actually the smallest and farthest full moon of 2011. Interesting to me is that the farthest and closest full moons recur in regular cycles. The closest full moon comes seven lunar months – or the seventh full moon – after this farthest full moon (Hunter’s Moon). Then the farthest full moon comes seven lunar months after the closest full moon. I have some homework for you. Mark on your calendar my prediction. Seven full moons after this week’s full moon, the closest full moon of the cycle will fall on May 6, 2012. On that date, the full moon will be closer than 222,000 miles, thus making it the “biggest” moon. Then seven full moons after, it’ll be the farthest or “smallest” full moon all over again on November 28, 2012.
All full moons have their own special characteristics, based primarily on the whereabouts of the ecliptic in the sky at the time of year that they are visible. The full moons of September, October and November, as seen from the northern hemisphere, correspond to the full moons of March, April and May as seen from the southern hemisphere—are all well known in the folklore of the sky. The Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon are both special because the time of moonrise between successive evenings is shorter than usual. The moon rises approximately 30 minutes later, from one night to the next for several evenings around the full Hunter's or Harvest Moons. Thus there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise, around the time of these full moons. In times past, this feature of these autumn moons was said to help hunters tracking their prey (or, in the case of the Harvest Moon, farmers working in the fields). They could continue tracking their prey (or bringing in their crops) by moonlight even when the sun had gone down. Hence the name Hunter's (or Harvest) Moon. Some old timers called it the Blood or Sanquine Moon (for obvious reasons).
Now here comes the scientific explanation. The reason for the shorter-than-usual rising time between successive moon rises around the time of the Harvest and Hunter's Moon is that the orbit of the Moon makes a narrow angle with respect to the horizon in the evening in autumn, leading the Moon to higher positions in the sky each successive day. The Hunter's Moon appears in either October or November, but usually in October. Traditionally, it was a feast day in parts of northern and western Europe and among some Native American tribes, called simply the Feast of the Hunter's Moon, though the celebration had largely died out by the 20th century – darn! I think we ought to bring that tradition back!
In myth and folklore, the full moon of each month is given a name. Of course I couldn’t stop with just the Harvest and Hunter’s Moon, I had to see what all the month’s folklore names were. There are many variations but I chose to use the Farmers' Almanac version, and they are as follows: January – Wolf moon; February – Snow moon; March – Worm moon; April – Pink moon; May – Flower moon; June – Strawberry moon; July – Thunder moon (I have heard some people call this Buck moon); August – Sturgeon moon; September – Harvest moon; October – Hunter's moon; November – Beaver moon; and December – Cold moon. You can find more on this at: http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/
I have always heard reference to a Blue moon. In fact I remember my grandparents would say “Once in a Blue Moon” and I really didn’t know what that meant, but figured it must not be very often. When is that? The Blue moon is actually the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Until recently it was commonly misunderstood that the second full moon in a month was the blue moon, but I guess we all now know that was in error. What is interesting is that it was the media’s fault. The interpretation of a blue moon as the second full moon of the month was erroneously reported in a magazine dating back to 1946 and then perpetuated by other media. So I guess I have been wrong all of my life on when the “Blue Moon” existed. OK, I will admit it. I didn’t even know that it was either one. Now that song is in my head!!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/me
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