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January begins rare succession of full moons
January 2, 1999 WASHINGTON (AP) -- When the full moon took its place in Friday night's cold winter sky, it began an unusual series of full moons not seen in more than eight decades. There will be two full moons in January, none in February, and two again in March. That last occurred in 1915, reported Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory. January's first full moon, the moon after Yule or old moon, became full at 9:50 p.m. EST Friday. The month's second full moon occurs at 11:07 a.m. January 31.
When a month has two full moons the second is known as a "blue" moon, though it only rarely has a blue tint that unusual atmospheric conditions can supply. Occasionally the moon takes on unusual colors, but most often it tends to be reddish, reports Guy Ottewell of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. The occasional blue or bluish-green moon can take place when a lot of dust is present in the air, such as after a volcanic eruption, Ottewell notes in his Astronomical Calendar 1999. After January's double full moon, February manages to skip a full moon. At 28 days, it's the only month short enough to accomplish the feat. The moon's cycle varies from 29.2 days to 29.9 days, averaging 29.53. Thus, a month with 30 or 31 days has a complete cycle of all four phases of the moon. February last lacked a full moon in 1961 and will miss one again in 2018, Chester said. After January, the first full moon will be March 2 at 1:59 a.m. EST. The full moon of March is variously known as the sap moon, crow moon or Lenten moon. And at 5:49 p.m. March 31 will come another blue moon, the second in the same month. The remaining full moons of 1999 will be:
Copyright 1998 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. |
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