Image 1. Supermoon
What is a Supermoon?
The Supermoon is a full Moon that looks bigger
than normal Moons. The reason is because the orbit of the Moon is a tilted eccentric
ellipse (Image 2). Because of the eccentricity, there are 2 defining distances;
one distance known as Apogee (when the moon is furthest from Earth), and one
known as Perigee (when the moon is closes to Earth). The Supermoon occurs when
the full Moon coincides with the Perigee.
Image 2. Orbit of the Moon
Why Snow moon?
Native Americans and Europeans used to give
names to the full moons of different months based on the local characteristics
of such month. For instance, February’s full moon used to be referred as Snow Moon
because of the heavy snowfalls that occur in February in the northern
hemisphere. The table summarizes the names of the Moon according to different
months.
| Month | Name | Note |
| January | Full Wolf Moon | Wolves tend to howl more at this time |
| February | Full Snow Moon | The heaviest snowfalls use to fall in february |
| March | Full Worm Moon | The ground softens and earthworm casts reappear |
| April | Full Pink Moon | The first spring flores begin to appear |
| May | Full Flower Moon | Flowers spring forth in abundance |
| June | Full Strawberry Moon | Is the time to gather ripening strawberries |
| July | Full Buck Moon | Buck's antlers are in full growth mode |
| August | Full Sturgeon Moon | The sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught |
| September | Full Corn Moon | It is the time of harvesting corn |
| October | Full Hunter's Moon | The time when natives begin to hunt and store provisions for winter |
| November | Full Beaver Moon | It was the time to set beavers traps |
| December | Full Cold Moon | It is the time when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark |
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