2013 August 21 A Seasonal Blue Moon

Most often, a season only has three full moons, so a Blue Moon by this definition only comes 7 times in 19 calendar years.   A season is defined as the period of time between a solstice (夏至) and an equinox (秋分), or vice versa. 

The moon is visible in orange color due to the light reflection from the evening sunset 

Legendary Harvest Moon On Night of September 29

Blue Moon on August 31, 2012

The First Full Moon of August

First of two August full moons falls on night of August 1, 2012, the second one is popularly called a Blue Moon and it will fall on August 31, 2012.



Full Moon shines from dusk till dawn on night of July 3

This July 2012 full moon presents the first full moon after the Summer Solstice. In North America, we often call this particular full moon the Buck Moon, Thunder Moon or Hay Moon.

How Special Is The May 5, 2012 Supermoon?

The full moon of May 5 , 2012 is the closest and largest full moon of this year.   Some will call it a supermoon. Astronomers call this sort of close full moon a perigee full moon.

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Perigee moon rises over Lake Ontario
at Humber Bay Park West, Toronto 20:28 Hrs.

April Full Moon on Easter Good Friday

For the Northern Hemisphere, this is the first full moon of springtime. We call it the Pink Moon or Easter Moon.

2011 Dec 11 Moonset Before Dawn

The Cold Moon, Toronto, Ontario

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D700 with 70-200mm VRII plus 2X TC-20EIII

Zoom at 200mm (400mm EFL)

ISO 200, 1/500sec, f/8, Hand-held

D200 with DX17-55mm f/2.8, Zoom at 24mm (36mm  EFL)

ISO 100, 1/2 sec, f/8, Tripod

2011 Dec 09 The Cold Moon

Winter takes a firm hold and temperatures plummet at this time. Sometimes this moon is also called the Long Night Moon as the winter nights lengthen and the moon spends more time above the horizon opposite a low sun.

The Harvest Moon in September, 2011

We see the Harvest Moon in 2011 tonight (September 11).  To astronomers, the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the September equinox.



Full Moon presents average-size full moon on night of July 14

This July 2011 full moon is the first full moon after the June 21 solstice. In North America, we often call this particular full moon the Buck Moon or Hay Moon.

Very Long Total Lunar Eclipse on Night of June 15, 2011

During the night of June 15, 2011, Earth’s dark shadow will eclipse the full moon for a whopping 100 minutes, creating the one of the longest total lunar eclipses of the 21st century.

Closest full moon of 2011 on March 19

March 19, 2011 presents the moon’s closest encounter with Earth since December 12, 2008. The moon won’t come this close again until November 14, 2016. The extra-close moon in all of these years – 2008, 2011 and 2016



2010 Nov Full Moon (Blue Moon)

Today’s November full moon is a Blue Moon. It isn’t blue in color. It’s only blue in name A Blue Moon is not necessarily a second full moon in a month, but a third full moon in a quarter, of four full moons that quarter, creating 13 full moons within a year, which occurs seven times within 19 years.

Jupiter, The Hunter’s Full Moon Shines All Night October 22

For the world’s northern hemisphere, tonight is the night of the Full Hunter’s Moon. Like any full moon, the Hunter’s Moon will shine all night long. The bright “star” near the moon tonight is really a planet, Jupiter.

Harvest Moon, Jupiter, September 2010 Equinox (秋分)

Happy 2010 Equinox & Mid-Autumn Festival!

The sky is clear tonight and we can glimpse a full moon in the east after sunset on this equinox Wednesday evening. This is the northern hemisphere’s legendary Harvest Moon.  BTW, the full moon won’t fall on the September equinox again until the year 2029. Jupiter’s next comparably good appearance on the September equinox won’t happen for another 12 years.

So happy equinox, enjoy Jupiter and the 100% visible full Harvest Moon tonight.

The Harvest Moon and the blazing planet Jupiter shine all night long tonight to commemorate the first full night of the autumn season.

Jupiter and The Waning Gibbous Moon (95%) on August 26

August 24 Full Moon Is Farthest Full Moon In 2010

The August 2010 full moon is the smallest, farthest full moon of the year. The August full moon is sometimes called the Green Corn Moon.

Full Moon Falls On July 25 In The North Americas

Tonight presents the second full moon after the June 21 summer solstice. In North America, we often call the second full moon of the summer season the Grain Moon or the Green Corn Moon.

Partial eclipse of moon before dawn June 26 for NA

2010 May 27 Full Moon

The moon reaches its full phase tonight, but it rides low above the horizon for mid-northern latitudes.

April Full Moon on April 28, 2010

This April full moon is the 2nd full moon of the spring season – or the 2nd full moon after the March 20th equinox.

It often goes by the name Milk Moon or Planting Moon.

Full Moon Near Planet Saturn on March 29

For the northern hemisphere, this is the first full moon of spring The first springtime moon is commonly called the Egg Moon, Grass Moon or Easter Moon.

2010 February Full Moon-the Snow Moon

The February full moon was also called the Snow-blinding Moon by the Micmac people in eastern Canada. Today, we call the February full moon the Snow Moon or Hunger Moon.

Mars at opposition - near closest full moon on Jan 29

Full moon, Blue Moon, Last Eclipse of 2009

This is the second full moon in December for the Americas, Europe, Africa, and far-western Asia. And according to recent tradition, a second full moon in a calendar month has the name Blue Moon.

Will December 2009 have a Blue Moon?

Any time you see the moon near the horizon, it can have a reddish color. The reason the moon’s (or sun’s) light must pass through a greater thickness of atmosphere when rising or setting than when overhead. So any moon, full or not, may look reddish when seen near the horizon.

Moonset

Because the December full moon comes so early in the month, this month will have two full moons this year.

• First December full moon: December 1, 2009
• Second December full moon: December 30, 2009

Tonight’s moon, like any full moon, will be out all night long, lighting up the nighttime from dusk till dawn.

Side Note: What's a Blue Moon?

The second of two full moons to fall in a single calendar month is called a Blue Moon.

November Full Moon - The Hunter’s Moon

In the northern hemisphere, some people will call this November full moon the Hunter’s Moon, because this full moon is the one that immediately follows the Harvest Moon (Oct Full Moon). November full moon, like the full moon at any season, shines from sundown to sunup, and climbs to its highest point in the sky around midnight.