May’s Full Flower Moon/Lunar Eclipse

by Sid Baglini

Sunday, May 15th at 8:15 pm

Come join us for our May Moonwalk which will set the stage for a full lunar eclipse (or Blood Moon) later in the evening.  This is the first of two lunar eclipses we will experience this year, and they only occur when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon which takes on a reddish hue. The eclipse will commence at 9:31 P.M. when the Moon enters the edge of the Earth’s shadow and will reach its peak at 12:11 A.M. on May 16th. 

This month’s Moon is known by the Native Americans as “The Full Flower Moon”, a cheerful moniker that puts to bed the memories of a long, cold winter.  Similarly, it is called both “The Budding Moon” and “The Leaf Budding Moon”.  For the gardeners among us, it is “The Planting Moon” when we can safely put the cold-sensitive plants out without fear of frost.  “The Frog Moon” overlaps with April’s full Moon as does “The Egg Laying Moon” since those activities are ongoing.  The Oglala and Arapaho tribes dubbed it “The Moon of Shedding Ponies” and “When Shaggy Ponies Shed Their Hair Moon” respectively which provided plenty of soft nesting material for the avian population.

Another fascinating event that occurs with the full Moon this month is the annual egg laying extravaganza performed by Horseshoe Crabs. While these creatures, more closely related to spiders than to crabs and more ancient than the dinosaurs, are found from Maine to Mexico, the most active location for egg laying is the Delaware Bay where waters are calm and there is relatively little surf.  The peak times for egg laying are at the full and new Moons in May and June because the tides run the highest helping them get well up onto the beach. Corresponding with this mass deposit of trillions of eggs is the arrival of the Red Knots, birds whose annual migration north from South America is timed to provide them with a feast of Horseshoe Crab eggs to fill their tanks before continuing on to the Arctic for breeding. Seeing that conjunction of egg-laying crabs and hungry migrant birds is high on my “Bucket List.”

We will meet on Sunday, May 15th at 8:15 pm at the Malvern Arts entrance in the parking lot on Channing & 1st Avenues. Please join our merry group of Moon and night sky enthusiasts!

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