Early this week we had a full moon. Each full moon actually has a name! The widely accepted way to name the full moons is by month.
You might of heard us call the full moon this past week, "The Beaver Moon". However, there are other names for the November full moon: for example, The Hunter's Moon, Frost Moon, or Snow Moon. It can get very confusing too. Chuck George and I were talking about the Hunter's Moon (which as we just said is November), BUT it is also a name given to the October full moon. Here's the deal, In the US, there are two different naming groups; "The English Names", and "The Native American Names". Those groups have the names of the full moons most of us know, but there are other names given to each moon also! It is really not uncommon to hear four or five different names given to each full moon.
So when you see your next full moon, here is a guide so you will know what it's called:
English Name, Native American Name, [Other Names]
December - Oak Moon, Cold Moon, [Frost Moon, Long Night's Moon, Moon Before Yule]
January - Old Moon, Wolf Moon, [Moon After Yule, Ice Moon]
February - Wolf Moon, Snow Moon, [Hunger Moon, Storm Moon, Candles Moon]
March - Lenten Moon, Worm Moon, [Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sugar Moon, Sap Moon, Chaste Moon]
April - Egg Moon, Pink Moon, [Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Seed, Walking Moon]
May - Milk Moon, Flower Moon, [Corn Planting Moon, Corn Moon, Hare's Moon]
June - Flower Moon, Strawberry Moon, [Honey Moon, Rose Moon, Hot Moon, Planting Moon]
July - Hay Moon, Buck Moon, [Thunder Moon, Mead Moon]
August - Grain Moon, Sturgeon Moon, [Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, Lightning Moon, Dog Moon]
September - Corn Moon, Harvest Moon, [Corn Moon, Barely Moon]
October - Harvest Moon, Hunter's Moon, [Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, Blood Moon]
November - Hunter's Moon, Beaver Moon, [Frost Moon, Snow Moon]
What about a Blue Moon??
The definition for blue moon seems to be different depending upon who you talk with, but here is the official meaning, "The term 'Blue Moon' traditionally referred to an extra moon in a season; if a season had four full moons(rather than the more common three), then the third of the four moons was known as a blue moon. A season in this sense begins not with months, but with the solstices and equinoxes".
There are 12.37 full moons in a year, a "Blue Moon" must occur on the average every 2.7 years. So the saying, 'once in a blue moon' is about 2 - 3 years.
Enjoy the Night!
-First Alert Meteorologist Aaron Pickering
