# Blue moons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 6, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840 "2003-04-06T08:02:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joehyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@joehyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joehyman)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/1 "2003-04-06T08:02:45Z")
Re: Blue Moons [http://216.33.240.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?\_lang=EN&lah=46875ebf734e123a01d26183604925a9&lat=1049616049&hm\_\_\_action=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.straightdope.com%2Fclassics%2Fa1\_172.html](http://216.33.240.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=46875ebf734e123a01d26183604925a9&lat=1049616049&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2estraightdope%2ecom%2fclassics%2fa1_172%2ehtml) What are the 12 named full moons? ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/2 "2003-04-06T08:15:02Z")
Hi, Joe! Have fun at SDMB! I’ve seen varying lists. Here is the list from _The Farmers’ Almanac_ January Wolf Moon February Snow Moon March Worm Moon April Pink Moon May Flower Moon June Strawberry Moon July Buck Moon August Sturgeon Moon September Harvest Moon October Hunter’s Moon November Beaver Moon December Cold Moon ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/3 "2003-04-06T08:16:22Z")
I have also heard that the Harvest Moon is actually the first full moon after autumn begins. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/4 "2003-04-06T21:47:20Z")
Note that names for moons were specific to individual Native tribes. There is in no way shape or form a comprehensive list. Since they live in diverse climate regions, which one was the “sneezing” moon or the “harvest” moon (not all had such a concept) also varied. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/5 "2003-04-06T23:12:53Z")
Sneezing moon? I love it. Lessee… The Wolfman’s Moon The Hospital Emergency Room Chaos Moon The High School Teenager Car Window Moon and of course, we know that most babies are conceived under: The Fuckin’ Moon (Man! Look at that fuckin’ Moon!) ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/6 "2003-04-07T03:00:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by joehyman \* > **Re: Blue Moons > [http://216.33.240.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?\_lang=EN&lah=46875ebf734e123a01d26183604925a9&lat=1049616049&hm\_\_\_action=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.straightdope.com%2Fclassics%2Fa1\_172.html](http://216.33.240.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=46875ebf734e123a01d26183604925a9&lat=1049616049&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2estraightdope%2ecom%2fclassics%2fa1_172%2ehtml)** Wow, that’s some link. I can do that link in [one letter](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_172.html), Cecil’s column, **Is there ever really a blue moon?** from 1/1/1977. ---
**Author:** ![DrFrasierCrane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@DrFrasierCrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFrasierCrane)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/7 "2003-04-07T16:19:54Z")
btw, in case you’re looking for the original Sky and Telescope article (the link Cecil has is out-of-date), you can find it at [http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/article\_127\_1.asp](http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/article_127_1.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/8 "2003-04-08T00:12:59Z")
I found this interesting: > [@](#): > > When there are four full moons in a season (which occurs sporadically), the third (not the fourth) is called the blue moon. So, apparently, “blue moon” is the equivalent of “Hi Opal” 😃 But this is driving me nuts: > [@](#): > > The three full moons occurring in each season have traditional names–Lenten Moon, Paschal Moon, etc.\_ “etc”? “etc”? There are only three of them, but instead of the third one we get an “etc”? Gah! What’s the third one?! Gah I say! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/9 "2003-04-08T05:14:15Z")
Lenten moon and paschal moon pretty clearly don’t refer to all seasons. Paschal (Easter) Moon would be the first one after the March equinox, the one which is used in the calculation of Easter, and Lenten Moon is presumably the one before Paschal. So there are ten or eleven moons left over in that etc., not just one. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/10 "2003-04-08T06:05:24Z")
o ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/11 "2003-04-08T09:32:00Z")
Could I just suggest that there is another sort of blue moon- during an extreme total lunar eclipse, the moon goes so deeply into the earth’s shadow that it turns dark grey rather than the usual red colour. I saw one myself, about thirteen years ago- I have seen many lunar eclipses, but this was the darkest. I would rate this particular eclipse by memory as a 1 or 0 on the [Danjon Scale](http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/Danjon.html)…it really looked distinctly blue, like a Bunsen flame. Did anyone else see it, and can anyone give me a better idea of the date? (somewhere between 1987 and 1992). Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/12 "2003-04-08T09:48:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by eburacum45 \* > **Did anyone else see it, and can anyone give me a better idea of the date? (somewhere between 1987 and 1992).** From the [list of the eighties](http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LEdecade1981.html) and the [list of the nineties](http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LEdecade1991.html), it looks like 8/17/89 is the best bet, of the four total lunar eclipses listed in that date range. Hey, May 16, 2003 is total. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/13 "2003-04-08T10:45:28Z")
That is exactly the time I remember it- a date for my (retrospective) diary. Thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/14 "2003-04-08T10:51:08Z")
That is exactly the time I remember it- a date for my (retrospective) diary. Thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/15 "2003-04-08T19:06:55Z")
Question (may be wrong forum): When did Cecil publish this article? It says Jan. 1, 1977 but in the article is says: Quote: **"The most recent blue moons occurred in January 1999 and again just two months later in March–a highly unusual circumstance that garnered a lot of attention from the press."** That would mean it was written or most likely revisited after March of 1999. Are Cecil’s collums usually updated with time sensative information such as the above but without changing the factual portion of the original question and not labeled “revisited”? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/16 "2003-04-09T04:01:04Z")
I wouldn’t say “usually”, but it’s certainly happened before. Darned if I can remember any specific ones, though. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/17 "2003-04-09T14:23:55Z")
The Farmer’s Almanac list presented by Zoe does not include Paschal moon or Lenten moon, and is therefore not the list referred to by Cecil. The _Old Farmers Almanac_ calendar of moons, which I found on [this site](http://www.fabandpp.org/cotm/moons.htm), is as follows: > [@](#): > > winter 1st - Moon after Yule > winter 2nd -Wolf Moon > winter last - Lenten Moon > > spring 1st - Paschal Moon > spring 2nd - Milk Moon > spring last - Flower Moon > > summer 1st - Hay Moon > summer 2nd - Grain Moon > summer last - Fruit Moon > > autumn 1st - Harvest Moon > autumn 2nd - Hunter’s Moon > autumn last - Moon before Yule > > (Insert Blue moons in any season as required, between the 2nd moon and the last.) ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-moons/166840/18 "2003-04-09T18:41:04Z")
Thanks Nametag!