This year, fans of the space could have seen the full moon in July becoming a darker shade than usual, as the third twilight eclipse of 2020 took place.
When? July 5th
August: Sturgeon Moon
The tribes of North America commonly caught Sturgeon during this period, but it is also when cereals and corn were gathered, so it is sometimes called the Grain Moon.
This full moon appears in the same month as the Perseid meteor shower, which reaches its peaks on August 12 and 13.
This year, a black month (the third new month in a four-month new season), also took place on August 19th. However, I could not see this monthly event because the new months are invisible to the naked eye.
When? August 3
September and October: the month full of corn and the month of harvest
In September, most crops were harvested before autumn, and this full moon will give light to farmers so they can continue to work longer in the evening. As a result, it is most commonly known as the Harvest Moon, and some tribes also call it the Full Moon of Corn, the Barley Moon, or the Fruit Moon.
However, Harvest Moon is the name given to the first full moon that takes place closest to the autumnal equinox. While the harvest month usually falls in September, every three years, the calendar of astronomical seasons leads to its fall in October.
In 2020, the autumn equinox fell on September 22, the nearest full moon falling in October. Therefore, the full moon of September was known as the full moon of corn, while the first of the two full moons of October was the harvest month.
When? September 2 and October 1
October: Hunter’s Moon
As people planned ahead for the cold months of the future, the full moon of October came to mean the ideal time for game hunting, which became increasingly greasy due to the consumption of falling grains. This full moon is also known as the traveling moon and the dying grass moon.
In 2020, Hunter’s Month was also a blue month, as it was the second of two full months that took place in October.
When? October 31
November: Beaver Moon
Beavers usually start building their winter dams around now, leading to this full moon appellation. It is also known as the Freezing Moon, as the winter frosts began to see their history during this time.
When? November 30
Total lunar eclipses
A total lunar eclipse, also known as the “blood moon”, occurs when the Moon moves in the shadow of the Earth. At a distance from the moon, this shadow appears like a bull’s eye in the center of a dartboard.
The shadow shadow slowly slips across the moon’s disk until it completely encompasses it. You might think that the Moon would disappear from view at this time, but this is not usually the case. The Earth’s atmosphere acts as a lens, refracting or bending the red light of the Sun to fill the otherwise dark shadow. This results in the usual bright white hue of the Moon turning into a deep blood orange.
Space fans will remember that the last total lunar eclipse hit the sky on January 21, 2019. In total, the celestial spectacle – which was also a full moon and supermoon – lasted five hours, 11 minutes and 33 seconds, with a maximum maximum of its entirety at 5:12 am.
While the next total lunar eclipse will not occur in the UK until 16 May 2022, three prenumbrial lunar eclipses took place this year, on 10 January, 5 June and 5 July.
This type of eclipse occurs when the Moon moves through the outer shadow of the Earth, also known as the penumbra, causing a slight darkening of the lunar surface. Therefore, it is easily confused with a normal full moon and unlike a total lunar eclipse, it can be difficult to observe or observe.
Rarely
Does this well-known phrase have anything to do with the Moon? Well, yes. We use it to refer to something that happens very rarely and a blue moon is a rare event.
A lunar blue moon is the name given to a second full moon that occurs in a single calendar month and it usually appears only once every two to three years. In 2020, Hunter’s Month on October 31 will also be a blue month, as it is the second full moon that appears in October.
A seasonal blue moon describes the third of four full months that occur in an astronomical season. In 2019, the flower month of May was a seasonal blue moon.
There are many more months – how much do you know?
Full moon: We all know what these are. They come every month and light up the night sky.
New Moon: Sometimes known as the invisible phase, because it can generally not be seen in the sky. It is when the Sun and the Moon are aligned, with the Sun and the Earth on opposite sides of the Moon. As a result, the side of the Moon facing the Earth is left in complete darkness.
Black Moon: Most experts agree that this refers to the second new month of a calendar month, while some use the term to describe the third new month in a new four-month season. The last black month took place on August 19, 2020.
Blood month: Also known as a total lunar eclipse. It is when the Earth’s shadow casts a reddish glow on the moon, the result of a rare combination of eclipse with the nearest full moon of the year. There was one in the UK in January 2019, the next to be visible in South America, North America and parts of Europe and Africa on May 16, 2022. Space fans in the UK will not be able to see every phase of this eclipse, but he should be able to see it fully when the Moon appears with a reddish-orange glow.
What is a supermoon?
Have you ever looked at the night sky to see a full moon so close that you could almost touch it? Well, you’ve probably seen a supermoon.
Impressive sight occurs when a full moon is at the point in its orbit that brings it closest to Earth. For us Earthlings, it looks up to 30% brighter and 14% bigger.