Moon-watching

 Moon-watching

Shared by Sandy Bivens

WPNC BIRD Program

sandy.bivens@nashville.gov

I am a moon-watcher and have been for as long as I can remember.  I like moon light, moon shadows, moon dancing, moon music, moon friends, moon stories, moon hikes – and full moon picking parties. 

                             

Full Moon photo courtesy Theo Wellington

This year, October is an especially nice time to watch because it has two full moons.  Today a common definition of a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month.  On 1 October there was a full moon and now coming up on 31 October there will be another – a blue moon!  The moon does not actually appear blue (but sometimes the moon might look blue due to dust storms, forest fires, or volcanoes) – but was named so because it is uncommon (occurring every 2-3 years).

         

Moon in my yard

Campfire in my yard

October is always a great month to watch the moon – the air is crisp, it is getting dark earlier, fewer rainy days and more clear skies for viewing, and maybe you can have a campfire to keep you warm. 

I like to watch the phases of the moon as it rotates and revolves once around Earth each month as we make our annual journey together around the Sun.  I like full moons, new moons, tiny crescent moons (and even a crescent moon vase filled with buckeyes) and who doesn’t like to say, “waxing gibbous”.  And it is comforting to watch the apparent changes of the moon yet know that it always comes back to full again. And the cycle continues.

Crescent Moon Vase with Buckeyes

My Moon Journal

Take a walk around the phases of the Moon at the Nature Center!

             

Cloudy Moon by Kim Bailey

The moon and its ever-changing cycles have been used to track time by many cultures. The word “month” comes from “moon”.  In the past, the definition of a month was the time between one new moon to the next.  And there are usually 12 moons (months) each year.  Even the days of the week are named for objects in the sky.  Which day do you think is named for the moon? Or the Sun?

                                             

Turtle shell with 13 sections

Some Native American cultures tracked time by 13 moons in a year.  A turtle’s shell has 13 sections and was sometimes used to document the annual cycle. Each moon was named for what was happening in the natural world.  October was “Hunter's Moon”, Harvest Moon, Migration Moon or Falling Leaves Moon depending on the tribe and region.  What name would you give this October moon?

     

Full Moon over water by Kim Bailey

Another thing about moon-watching is you can do it anywhere!  Inside your house or in the backyard; in the city or in the country, at the beach or on a mountain.  At night or in the daytime! And you don’t need anything to watch – although it can be fun to see it with binoculars or a telescope sometimes.  

   

      Full Moon by Kim Bailey

So, I hope you step outside and enjoy a little moonshine from the Blue Moon on 31 October – and some moon-watching all year long.  I am going to celebrate the moon and try to do a “moon zoom” with my sisters – they are moon-watchers too. The next Blue Moon will be here on 31 August 2023 – and we should all be able to plan on celebrating with family and friends under the moonlight together then.

For more Moon information:

 skyandtelescope.org

Sudekum Planetarium at Adventure Science Center

Thirteen Moons on Turtles Back:  A Native American Year of Moons, by Joseph Bruchac and Jonathan London