Geminids Meteor show

Oooh the geminds. Last year it was too frozen to sit in the car to watch them. It was cold this year, but not as coold as last year. The bright gibbous moon, reduced the amount visible - but it was a clear night. Crispy and clear.

I was listening to Good Night Mister Tom as I was out watching. The smells are so different at this time of year. So many woodsmoke fires. hmmm, bonnie quiet.

New Calendar available

Hey folks, well just to let you know that the July 2010 - July 2011 calendar is available now. Laminated & Magnetised so you can keep it on your fridge. All the lunar phase data, planetary hangouts, eclipses, meteor showers & occultations info so you can scan the upcoming events in advance (& plan your skywatching nights!)

Available from the usual outlets & directly from me at market stalls or by emailing me. Still trying to figure out the how, when & whats of an ebay shop. Especially when I'm tempted to kit out a van head across Europe meeting and working with interesting folk, exploring the wilds meeting new species of plants and critters, all the natural world has to offer. And of course the sky! Thinking that big sunroof in the back of a van is the way to go! any ideas, inspirations and destinations would be welcome! ooh exciting!

Naming of Moons, July

The July Full Moon on the 28th is called Thunder Moon (common time for storms in certain areas), Buck Moon (as this is when the bucks push out their velvety nubs which branch and develop into a major rack of antlers), Summer moon and mid summer moon, Full hay moon & my personal favourite the medieval reference - mead moon (for recipes on meads, hydromels, methglins & melomels see “thedockleaf” herblog on this blog site) Ooh yeah, gonna make some rose mead & maybe try some fruity mead too… I’ll keep you posted. Of course I may have to rename the moon 6-9 months ahead to mead ready moon… In fact I could probably rename all the moons based around the herbal home made wines I make. Dandelion, Lovage, Cherry, Elderflower… hmmm and then some of the tinctures and other bits I make… gosh I think I’m to something there… I think it may be similar to some cultural reference somewhere though – Moon when berries are ripe, Rose moon … EXCITING!

Perseids Meteor shower

Between July 18 and August 18th there is a meteor shower, the best show of the year – The Perseids. It peaks on August the 12th. The persieds is a high frequency shower, as in 60 per hour! Minimum! with all sorts of amazing variations. NE after midnight, more definite pointers will be on the way… but some strays have been seen already so keep your eyes relaxed and scoping the whole sky (rather than peeled – OUCH!)

Astronomical Dates in July

1st July – Disseminating Moon in Aquarius at 21:25
4th July - 3rd Quarter Moon in Pisces at 14:35
7th July - Balsamic Moon in Aries at 4:36
11th July – New Moon in Gemini at 9:40
16th July – Crescent Moon in Leo at 13:39
18th July – 1st Quarter Moon in Virgo at 10:10
20th July – Gibbous Moon in Libra at 20:06
26th July – Full Moon in Capricorn at 1:36

The Naming of Moons in June

Moon of strawberries, June (reference in Hiawatha, but also the Alonquin tribe)
Rose Moon, as this is the time of year when the roses bloom profusely

I still reckon you can name your moons as you wish, as there are so many refernces in many different cultures describing a local activity, usually a natural or agricultural occurence (which reoccurs each year and is hence cyclical). Other June Moon names include Blood Moon & Buck Moon.

Planetary Hangouts in June

Mercury moves into Taurus on the 7th & into Gemini on the 23rd June
Venus moves into Cancer on the 10th of June
Mars is in Leo throughout June
Jupiter is in Pisces June til October
Saturn is in Virgo all year
Uranus is in Pisces for the remains of the year
Neptune is in Aquarius for the remains of the year
Pluto is in Sagittarius all year