This year, space fans may have seen the July full moon turn a shade darker than usual, as the third penumbral lunar eclipse of 2020 occurred.
When? July 5
August: Sturgeon Moon
Tribes in North America typically captured Sturgeon around this time, but it is also when grain and maize were collected, so it is sometimes referred to as Grain Moon.
This full moon appears in the same month as the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on August 12-13.
This year, a black moon also occurred on August 19 (the third new moon in a season of four new moons). However, we couldn’t see this lunar event, as new moons are invisible to the naked eye.
When? 3 August
September and October: Full Corn Moon and Harvest Moon
It was in September that most of the crops were harvested before fall, and this full moon would light the farmers so they could work longer in the evenings. As a result, it is most commonly known as the harvest moon, and some tribes also refer to it as the full corn moon, barley moon, or fruit moon.
However, the Harvest Moon is the name given to the first full moon closest to the fall equinox. Although the Harvest Moon usually falls in September, the timing of the astronomical seasons causes it to fall in October approximately every three years.
In 2020, the fall equinox fell on September 22, with the nearest full moon in October. Therefore, the September full moon was known as the full corn moon, while the first of two full moons in October was the harvest moon.
When? September 2 and October 1
October: Hunter’s Moon
As people planned ahead for the coming chilly months, October’s full moon became the ideal time for game hunting, which grew fatter from eating falling grains. This full moon is also known as the Travel Moon and the Dying Grass Moon.
In 2020, the Hunter’s Moon was also a blue moon, as it was the second of two full moons in October.
When? October 31st
November: Beaver Moon
Beavers now usually start building their winter dams, leading to this full moon name. It is also known as the Frost Moon, as the winter frosts began to take its toll historically during this time.
When? November 30
Total lunar eclipses
A total lunar eclipse, also known as a “blood moon,” occurs when the moon moves in the shadow of the Earth. At the moon’s distance, this shadow resembles a bull’s-eye in the center of a dartboard.
The shadow of the umbrella slowly creeps over the disk of the moon until it completely envelops it. You might think that the moon would disappear from view at this point, but this is usually not the case. Earth’s atmosphere acts like a lens, refracting or bending the red light from the sun to fill the otherwise dark umbra. 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 graced our sky on January 21, 2019. In total, the celestial spectacle – which was also a full moon and a super moon – lasted five hours, 11 minutes, and 33 seconds, with a maximum totality peak. at 5:12 am.
While the next total lunar eclipse won’t occur in the UK until May 16, 2022, this year three prenumbral lunar eclipses occurred on January 10, June 5 and July 5.
This type of eclipse occurs when the moon moves through the outermost part of the Earth’s shadow, also known as the penumbra, making the lunar surface slightly dark. Therefore, it is easily mistaken for a normal full moon and unlike a total lunar eclipse, it can be difficult to notice or perceive.
Very rarely
Does this famous phrase have anything to do with the moon? Yes, it does. We use it to refer to something that happens very rarely and a blue moon is rare.
A monthly blue moon is the name given to a second full moon that occurs in a single calendar month, and this usually occurs only once every two to three years. In 2020, the Hunter’s Moon will also be a blue moon on October 31, as it will be the second full moon to occur in October.
A seasonal blue moon describes the third of four full moons that take place in an astronomical season. In 2019, May’s Flower Moon was a seasonal blue moon.
There are many other moons too – how many do you know?
Full moon: We all know what these are. They come around every month and illuminate the sky at night.
New Moon: Sometimes known as the invisible phase as it generally cannot be seen in the sky. It is when the sun and moon are aligned, with the sun and earth on opposite sides of the moon. As a result, the side of the moon facing Earth is left in complete darkness.
Black Moon: Most experts agree that this refers to the second new moon in a calendar month, while some use the term to describe the third new moon in a season of four new moons. The last black moon took place on August 19, 2020.
Blood Moon: Also known as total lunar eclipse. It’s when Earth’s shadow casts a reddish glow on the moon, the result of a rare combination of a solar eclipse with the closest full moon of the year. There was one in the UK in January 2019, and the next will be visible over 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 should be able to see it in its entirety when the moon appears with a reddish-orange glow.
What is a super moon?
Ever looked at the night sky to see a full moon so close you could almost touch it? You’ve probably seen a super moon.
The impressive sight occurs when a full moon is at the point in its orbit that brings it closest to Earth. To us Earthlings, it appears to be up to 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger.