Ad Astra Observatory

All of the full moons of the year are named. I don’t know all of their names, Harvest Moon comes to mind, but like there are 12 or 13 of them, and Google it if you’re interested.

I heard somewhere today “the Indians called this the Wolf Moon”, this full moon in January. Hmm. I have long said that I am not into “transient orbital effects”.

So I’m out, avoiding the full moon all night, learning to autofocus and getting dome automation running again (but, I digress), and I stepped outside to look at the sky.

I wish I could take a photo of this; the moon is *so* bright, I’m just not set up for it. Maybe next year.

Anyway, full moons (and each other phase, really) occur in the same place, more or less, at the same time each year. That is, a full moon, which rises at sunset, exactly opposite the sun, will be in a very northern constellation in January, when the Sun is at her lowest in the sky.

So there’s the Wolf Moon, in January, right in the middle of Gemini, with Orion’s large hunting dog, Canis Major, directly underneath it, looking for all the world like a wolf howling under a full moon.

Keep looking up.