Full moon calendar 2006
Full Wolf Moon – January, 2006-01-14, 5:47 EDT
Amongst the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily near Indian villages. This created the etymology of January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also described as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Surprisingly some called it the Full Snow Moon, using a name which most tribes applied to the next, February, Moon.
Full Snow Moon – February, 2006-02-13, 00:43 EDT
Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the North and East most often called February's full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, because harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.
Full Worm – March, 2006-03-14, 19:33 EDT
As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more Northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.
Full Pink Moon – April, 2006-04-13, 12: 40 EDT
This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month's celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
Full Flower Moon – May, 2006-05-13, 02:52 EDT
In most areas, everything is the most amazing bright green, and everything seems to be in flower, thus the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Full Milk Moon.
Full Strawberry Moon – June, 2006-06-11, 14:05 EDT
This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, it goes by other names as well, such as the Rose Moon in Europe. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry! Another name for this month’s Moon was Full Hot Moon.
The Full Buck Moon – July, 2006-07-11, 23:03 EDT
July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon as thunderstorms are so frequent during this time. Another name for this month's Moon was the Full Hay Moon.
Full Sturgeon Moon – August, 2006-08-09, 06:55 EDT
The fishing tribes were the ones that named this Moon, since sturgeons, large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most easily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
Full Harvest Moon – September, 2006-09-07, 14:44 EDT
This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.
Full Hunter's Moon – October, 2006-10-07, 23:14 EDT
With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals which have come out to glean. Other names for this month’s Moon are Full Travel Moon and Full Dying Grass Moon.
Full Beaver Moon – November, 2006-11-05, 08:58 EDT
This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frost Moon.
The Full Cold Moon or the Full Long Nights Moon – December, 2006-12-05, 20:23 EDT
During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.