by Sid Baglini
Friday, November 15, 2024 7:00 P.M.
We’ve had the Wolf, Worm, Buck, and Sturgeon Full Moons. This month, we walk under the last of the Moons named for a living creature–The Beaver Moon. It’s easy to remember because just as we turn our attention to the warmth and comfort of our homes as chilly weather sets in, these lumberjack rodents with flat, leathery tails are reinforcing dams and their lodges. As nocturnal animals, they work under the light of the Moon. Their lodge features an entry hole, a drying platform, and a living area. Surrounding the raised structure is a pantry of branches enabling them to munch on shoots without having to venture far from home. For fur trappers and indigenous people, this was when beaver fur is thick and rich so it was the optimum time to collect their pelts.
This transition into winter resulted in other names including The Digging Moon and The Scratching Moon, both related to collecting food for winter. It’s also The Deer Rutting Moon so if you are driving at dusk or at night, beware of distracted deer near the road. This is the worst month for accidents involving deer. As temperatures are dropping, this is also the Frost Moon, The Moon When Rivers Start to Freeze and the Freezing Moon. For humans and animals, this was clearly the last chance to prepare for the coming challenges of winter which perhaps gave rise to the chilling name The Darkest Depths Moon. Brrrrrr!
If clear skies prevail, we will be treated to yet another supermoon, the 4th in a row. For this to occur, you need two events: a Full Moon and that the elliptical orbit of the Moon brings it to within 90% of its closest point to Earth. Last month’s supermoon was actually a little closer to Earth and so it was the biggest supermoon of the year.
We’ll be walking under the Northern Taurids and the Leonids Meteor Showers. The first peaks on the night of November 11th and morning of the 12th. The latter peaks on the 17th so our excursion falls right between. The light of the Full Moon will make viewing meteors more difficult but where these two showers overlap, you sometimes get fireballs that are hard to miss if you are looking.
Come join with us for this friendly walk under a supermoon in the midst of two meteor showers. We meet behind Borough Hall and parking is available on First and Channing Avenues.