Do you think you might be part werewolf?
Are you reading this because you can’t fucking sleep?
Do you feel like getting a little crazy right now?
Well then you’re in the right place amigo.
Welcome to the dark side of the moon.
Why does this happen? What’s it all about? What’s wrong with your brain? These are good goddamn questions. All we know is Moonitis is a real thing and we need your help to figure out just what the hell is going on. So howl at us in the comments below and share your full (and new) moon troubles and traumas.
For the first time in 13 years, a #full moon will occur this Friday the 13th and this means you’re probably going to break mirrors, spill hot coffee on your junk, get in a car accident, and die a horrible death. Werewolves will definitely be on the loose.
We’re not making predictions about your lifespan, but if you’re old or unhealthy, you might want to go outside and look up tonight.
The short version: It’s the #full moon that appears in December, coinciding with the astronomical start of winter in the northern hemisphere.
The long version? Well, it doesn’t get much more complicated than that.
Except 2018’s version is a bit different than the usual. There are added events, unrelated but all part of the same night sky.
Why is the full cold moon special this year?
This year’s full cold #moon falling almost exactly in line with the December solstice on the 21st, with its peak around midday on the 22nd. The longest night of the year coincides with a big, beautiful full moon. It’s the first time since 2010 since the two have been less than 24 hours apart, and the last time until 2029.
If you venture outside after lunch this Thanksgiving Day to grab some fresh air, look east. You may just see a magical moonrise as the Beaver #Moon makes a festive appearance.
Why is November’s full moon called the Beaver Moon?
Astronomers don’t give Full Moons names, but over the years they have acquired nicknames by various cultures. The term Beaver Moon comes from Native Americans and colonial settlers, with some sources claiming it’s because November was when traps were set, and others because beavers are at their most active before winter sets in. November’s #Full Moon has also been called Frosty Moon, Hunter’s Moon and Oak Moon. Space.com reports that the Ojibwe people called November’s full moon Little Spirit Moon, while the Tlingit people called it the Scraping Moon to mark the time when bears prepare their dens. Read more
We’re in for a real treat at the end of this month with a stunning red blood #moon right across Australia — the first total #lunar eclipse since 2015. But what is a red blood moon?
With our beginner’s guide, red blood moons, blue moons, supermoons, lunar phases, and — of course — the ‘man in the moon’ will all become as plain as day.
Lunar phases
The Moon orbits the Earth every 27.3 days — which is the same amount of time it takes to spin on its axis, and this is why the same side of the Moon always faces us.
But two things change about the Moon’s appearance every day — how much of it is lit up by the Sun (giving us the phases), and what time it rises in the east.
It’s a common misconception that the phases are caused by the Earth’s shadow falling on the Moon (that’s actually what happens in an eclipse — see below).
But the dark parts of the Moon are dark for the same reason the night side of Earth is dark — they’re not being illuminated by the Sun.
The lunar cycle takes 29.5 days starting with the “new moon” where there’s no moon at all, quarter moon, #full moon, last quarter and ending with the thin morning crescent (ABC: Julie Ramsden)
As the Moon orbits Earth, it changes its angle to the Sun, relative to the Earth. A complete lunar cycle — the time taken for the Moon to go through its various phases and return to the same position — takes around 29.5 days.
During a #full moon the Moon is on the exact opposite side of the Earth to the Sun, so we see it fully lit. And being opposite the Sun, it rises at the very viewer-friendly time of sunset.
Because the Moon’s orbit takes slightly less than a calendar month, we get to see two full moons in a month about once every 2.7 years. This is called a ‘blue moon’.
A few times in a century, two blue moons can occur in a year. This year there will be blue moons in January and March for most Australian time zones — the first time this has happened since 2010.
The day after a full moon, the Moon is slightly less full (waning) and rises a bit later. And every day the lit area gets thinner, reaching the last quarter moon a week later. By this stage the Moon rises pretty late, so only night owls are likely to see it.
By the time of the new moon — a fortnight after the full moon, and the true start of the cycle — moonrise is so late it actually rises and sets with the Sun, so we never see the new Moon at all. Except during a solar eclipse, when it moves between us and the Sun.
The combined gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun when they are aligned at full and new moon produces spring tides — our highest tides. The lowest tides, called neap tides, occur when the Moon and Sun are at 90 degrees to one another, with respect to the Earth.
Lunar eclipses
Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth’s shadow falls across the Moon.
If the Moon’s orbit was perfectly aligned with that of the Earth and Sun we’d have a solar and lunar eclipse with every full and new moon — when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up.
But sadly, the Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees. That means lunar eclipses only happen during full moons when the Earth’s and Moon’s orbits intersect.
This happens twice a year, but slight wobbles in the Moon’s orbit mean we will not necessarily get to see the same type of eclipse each time.
There are three kinds of lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral.
Total eclipses happen when the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow — the umbra — passes directly over the Moon, turning all of it a shade of red, aka ‘blood moon’. The reddish colour is caused by the filtering and bending of the Sun’s light through our atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere absorbs blue and green light so only red is left in our shadow.
Partial eclipses happen when part of the Earth’s umbral shadow passes over the Moon, blocking some of the light from the Sun. This turns part of the Moon dark.
Penumbral eclipses happen when the outside part of the Earth’s shadow — the penumbra — passes across the Moon. This makes the Moon look slightly darker but the difference is hard to detect.
During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow passes across the Moon. Illustration not to scale. (ABC: Julie Ramsden)
When an eclipse takes place, everyone on the night side of Earth can see it at their equivalent local time.
You may see a penumbral and partial eclipse on either side of a total eclipse — just what phases you see will depend upon your time zone.
As night sets in on November 14, wander outside and gawk at the sky. If the weather is clear, the #moon will be at its biggest and brightest in nearly 70 years, and it won’t put on a similar display until late 2034, astronomers say.
A so-called “#supermoon” occurs when the moon is not only full, but is orbiting close to Earth. This month’s #full moon will be the closest to Earth since January 26, 1948.
NASA says a supermoon – technically called a perigee moon – can appear to be as much as 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than a full moon at its furthest orbital point.
But NASA says the November 14 moon could, arguably, even be called an “extra-supermoon”, and here’s why.
According to an age-old farming tradition, the phase of the #moon has a huge impact on how well a plant will grow. Without getting too bogged down in the nitty-gritty of astrological signs, here’s the general idea behind gardening according to the moon. The whole idea hinges on the idea that the moon’s gravitational pull affects water in the ground. This is very similar to the way the moon affects the ocean’s changing tides.
According to the tradition, the moon’s pull on groundwater has a direct impact on how well different plants grow. The time between a brand new moon and the #full moon is called the waxing phase. The moon gets bigger and bigger every night during this phase.
As the moon gets increasingly large, it pulls water up toward the surface of the Earth. This is the time to plant things that produce fruit or leaves above ground.This would include things like tomatoes, leafy greens, grains, squash, beans, and most important of all, cannabis.
You can quantify just about every part of your life with today’s tech, but what’s more important than getting enough rest? There are now a plethora of ways to keep an eye on the quality of your sleep as well as how much you’re getting.
While we’ve not been able to play around with all of these gadgets at the Gizmodo office, you shouldn’t have to look too far on the web to find reviews from current users, which will help you make a choice. Where we had the chance to test out a device, you’ll see it mentioned it in the text.
Plus. for reasons of brevity we’ve counted out smartwatches, but don’t forget the likes of the Apple Watch, the Moto 360, and just about every other model on the market that can track your snoozing as well as telling the time — provided you don’t mind going to bed each night with a watch strapped to your wrist.
Sleep may be one of the simplest changes you make to your daily routine, affecting everything from your mental and emotional health to your physical health.
Impaired sleep or lack of sleep may impact your immune system, increase your risk of heart disease, raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.1
Poor-quality sleep may also impact other serious or chronic underlying health conditions, such as kidney disease, multiple sclerosis or gastrointestinal disorders.
Kids really do sleep less when there’s a full moon, but only by a few minutes, according to a new study that included children from a dozen countries.
What’s more, the study failed to find a link between the occurrence of the full moon and kids’ activity levels, debunking the myth that kids are more hyper during a full moon.
The study “provides solid evidence … that the associations between moon phases and children’s sleep duration/activity behaviors are not meaningful from a public health standpoint,” the researchers, from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, wrote in the March 24 issue of the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics.
