Full Moon Over Kentucky

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Tonight we will have a full moon. Have you noticed how bright it has been over the past couple of nights? Unfortunately it’s supposed to be a bit cloudy tonight so we might not get to enjoy its grandeur. 

Here are some facts and myths about a full moon?

• In times past the cycle from one full moon to the next helped people keep track of the calendar. 
• The farmer’s Almanac pays close attention to the phases of the moon when giving predictions and directions for planting and harvesting. 
• Vampires — no that’s werewolves — are transformed by a full moon even if it is behind cloud cover. But werewolves can’t transform if they are on the polar-neutral equator. (Just thought I’d throw that in as interesting folk-lore.)
• Babies like to come during a full moon. We have three ladies at work that would like for that to be the case — they look like they’ve swallowed watermelons. Unfortunately there’s no clear data to back up this claim.
• The far side of the moon is not always dark. Because of the way it rotates around the earth, the moon always faces the earth.  So we always see one side. The picture below is actually taken of the far side and it is clearly not dark. 
• The moon is not a sphere like a basketball. Since we only see one side of it, we can’t tell that the far side is a bit oblong—kind of like an egg. 
• Is there gravity on the moon? Yes. It’s only about 1/6th of what we have on Earth. But it’s there. 
• The full moon affects the ocean tides. That’s true. But it is debatable that the moon’s phases might affect the hearts and minds of people. 

There you have it. Tomorrow when I get to  work I’ll find out if we have any full moon babies. 

Hope you enjoy the sights.