dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (10/16/86)
The Hunter's Moon -- right after this. October 16 The Hunter's Moon Last month was the famous Harvest Moon -- the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox, which came this year on September 23. Well, Friday night is the Hunter's Moon -- a full moon -- up, bright and shining -- all night long. The Hunter's Moon always comes a month after the Harvest Moon. While the Harvest Moon is supposed to help farmers working in the fields, the Hunter's Moon helps hunters. Friday's Hunter's Moon lets them spot their prey as it scoots along across the stubble left behind in the fields. If you live in New England, Friday's Hunter's Moon is even more special. As seen from New England, the Hunter's Moon rises while in the midst of a very subtle kind of eclipse, called a penumbral eclipse. Actually, a total eclipse of the moon takes place during the day on Friday. That's an eclipse during which the moon passes through the shadow of the Earth. By moonrise for the United States, the eclipse is nearly over -- but people in the northeast may detect some remnant of Earth's shadow on the moon -- in the form of a subtle shading of one portion of the moon. Again, the eclipse will be visible from New England on Friday evening, just after moonrise. And since it's a full moon, the moon will rise when the sun goes down on Friday. The eclipse will be very subtle -- and over, not long after moonrise. Tonight's moon rises just before sunset. It's not quite full -- not quite on a line with the Earth and sun -- but it's so close to full that you may think you see a full moon in tonight's sky. Enjoy it. It'll be up all night, casting its pale light across the land. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1985, 1986 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin