Wolf moon

The Old Farmer's Almanac calendar says today is a "full wolf moon." With an 80% chance of rain, we probably won't see the moon in Seattle tonight. There are a few harassed coyotes running around the city, but thankfully no wolves.

"Wolf moon" was the name given by Native Americans to a full moon that occurs in January. Maybe they heard hungry packs of wolves howling outside their villages. Full moon names date back to when tribes kept track of seasons by giving names to each recurring full moon. Wolf moon was a time to sit by the warm fire in silence and appreciate the safety of home and kinship. Now we sit in front of the television.

When the European settlers came along, they adopted some of the Native American moon names and added others of their own:

January- Wolf moon
February- Ice moon
March- Storm moon
April- Growing moon
May- Hare moon
June- Flower moon
July- Hay moon
August- Corn moon
September- Harvest moon
October- Hunter's moon
November- Snow moon
December- Winter moon

A time lapse image of the full moon in France, courtesy of SpaceWeather.com