Full Beaver’s Moon & Supermoon! Update – November 14, 5:52 AM PST

Here’s another update from SMBAS Blog on that large, disc-like, shining object which has frequently and mysteriously appeared in our nighttime sky this year (known to the cognoscenti as the moon).

Full Beaver Moon, Nov. 17, 2013
Ed Hewitt: https://www.flickr.com/photos/erhewitt50

Nov. 14, 5:52 a.m. PST — Full Beaver Moon.   Now it is time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs.   Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Full Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter.   This full moon is also called the Frosty Moon.

November 12, 2016 moon, approaching full supermoon status (Jim Kenney)

This is a Supermoon (or perigee moon or perigee-syzygy), because the full moon is at perigee (closest point to earth) on the day it rises. It will also be the closest – 221,524 miles – it’s been since January 26, 1948. It will almost certainly be the brightest and largest full moon of your lifetime. Don’t miss it. The night of the 13th or early morning of the 14th are the best viewing times. This supermoon will appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than do full moons at apogee (farthest point from earth).

Effects on the high and low tides will be dramatic, and if there are any coastal storms nearby, batten down the hatches and watch out for flooding. Such extreme tides are called “perigean spring tides” with reference not to the season “spring,” but to the German springen “to spring up” or “arise.”

Full moon – largest to smallest (Peter Lowenstein – Earth Sky)

Month Moon Names from other cultures Courtesy of Keith Cooley):
Chinese: White Moon; Celtic: Dark Moon; English Medieval: Snow Moon
Dakotah Sioux: Moon when horns are broken off

The Old Farmer’s Almanac has a page for each full moon, which has tips on times to harvest, fish and set eggs, things which every Los Angeles Westsider worth their salt must know. The best days for setting eggs are the 15th & 16th. Now you know, so you have no excuses.

Note: Pacific Daylight Time started March 13, 2016 at 2 AM (becoming 3 AM) and ended November 6, 2016 at 2 AM (becoming 1 AM). But you knew that.

The next significant full moon will occur on Dec. 13, 4:05 p.m. PST.   Keep an eye on this spot for additional late-breaking news on this unprecedented event.

The moon name information comes to you courtesy of: http://www.space.com/31699-full-moon-names-2016-explained.html
written by Joe Rao.   Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmer’s Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y.

But that’s waaay too long to type in, and besides, you don’t need to go there because SMBAS has done the work for you!
[Chuck Almdale]