Sky Events Archives

March Moon Names

March Moon Names March is a month of transition. The seasons are changing from winter to spring in the Northern Hemisphere. South of the equator it’s moving from summer to fall. All around the world, change is prevalent. This change is no better illustrated than in the names the Native American’s had for the March moon. Days grow longer as we progress into spring. The sun makes its way a little higher into the sky every day. For the tribes of the Northern and Great Plains, this could cause a problem. The bright sun would reflect off the white snow …

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Here Come the Fireballs!

By Under the Night Sky

Here Come the Fireballs The few weeks surrounding the March Equinox are a great time to gaze into the night sky and search for incoming fireballs. “The Earth getting bombarded by fireballs? Sounds disastrous. Is this the evil doing of some cosmic wizard or stellar sorcerer? “ No need to worry. As far as we know, no one has ever been killed by a fireball from space. So what is a fireball? A fireball is just a particularly bright meteor. It has an apparent magnitude of at least -4, so it is about as bright, or brighter than the planet …

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Good time to view the Zodiacal Light

By Under the Night Sky

Good Time to View the Zodiacal Light Fall is officially here and with that a good time to see the zodiacal light, and with the Moon absence from the morning sky for the next couple weeks it makes a particularly good time to get a glimpse. What is zodiacal light and what causes it? It is a pyramid-shaped glow that appears in the eastern sky before dawn or western sky just after sunset. This phenomenon is caused by sunlight reflecting off the dust particles that move in the same plane as the Earth and other planets as they orbit the Sun. …

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Draconid Meteor Shower 2015

By Under the Night Sky

October 9th will mark the peak of this years Draconid Meteor Shower, named for the constellation Draco, where the meteors appear to originate from. This shower is also known as the Giacobinids, for comet 21 P/ Giacobini-Zinner, the comet that left the dust debris responsible for this meteor shower. In the past the Draconids have been responsible for some of the most spectacular showers, but in general they tend to be one of the less impressive ones. This year a new Moon will be on October 13th, making viewing more favorable.

Full Snow Moon 2015

By Under the Night Sky

Winter hits its stride is in February, and with it typically comes heavy snow falls. It’s these snow falls that inspired the most common name for February’s Full Moon, The Full Snow Moon. During this time hunting would become very difficult and food scarce for some Native American tribes, giving this moon another one of its names, the Full Hunger Moon. This year’s Full Snow Moon occurs on February 3rd at 23:09 UTC.

Full Wolf Moon 2015

By Under the Night Sky

The howling of hungry wolves out in the still cold air and deep snows of January are what inspired Native Americans to call this month’s full Moon the Full Wolf Moon. A few tribes called it the Old Moon or the Snow Moon, and it is also know by some as the Moon After Yule.

Full Beaver Moon 2014

By Under the Night Sky

For the American colonist and the Algonquin tribes the November Full Moon was know as the Full Beaver Moon. This was the time of year to prepare for the upcoming winter by setting beaver traps before the swamps froze. This would help ensure warm beaver furs to fend off the winter cold. Also, beavers are also very busy this time of year, preparing for winter. The November Full Moon is also know as Frosty Moon. Full Beaver Moon arrives at November 6th, 22:23 GMT.

Full Hunter’s Moon 2014

By Under the Night Sky

The crops have been harvested and winter is coming. Time for the Full Hunter’s Moon. Native Americans named this moon as such because it was time to build up their stores for winter and the reaped field and fallen leaves made it easier to see their prey. The Hunter’s Moon, also known as Blood Moon and Sanguine Moon, was considered an important time and was celebrated with feasts by Native American’s and in Western Europe. The hunter hits his mark on October 8th, at 10:51 (GMT).

Full Harvest Moon 2014

By Under the Night Sky

This year’s Harvest Moon is a special one. In fact, it is SUPER. The Full Moon that falls closest is closest to the Autumnal Equinox, is known as the Full Harvest Moon. This year the equinox falls on September 22nd and the full moon arrives the night of September 8th, crowning it this year’s Harvest Moon. Adding to the fun is that this month’s full moon is a supermoon. A supermoon occurs when the moon turns full less than a day after reaching perigee, when the Earth and moon are at their closest for the month.

Fireball Meteor Shooting from the Constellation Perseus

Perseid Meteor Shower and a Supermoon

By Under the Night Sky

One of the best meteor showers of the year takes place this month. It’s the Perseids, named for the constellation Perseus, where the shooting stars appear to radiate from. This year the shower is at it’s maximum during the night and morning hours of August 12-13th. During a normal year 60 to 100 shooting stars per hour can be seen at its peak. This year, though, it could be different. The moon will be near full during the meteor shower. On top of that, it will be a supermoon, which will be 14% bigger and 30% brighter than an average …

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