skywatch_8-17-2016.mp3
The moon is full, and as it rises at sunset this evening, it will be found among the stars of the constellation Capricornus. Colonial Americans knew this as the Dog Days moon; ancient Celts called it the Dispute Moon. The Sioux Indians say that this is the Moon When the Geese Shed Their Feathers. The Ottawa tribes know it as the Sturgeon Moon, named for the misty moon-bow made by that fish when it leaps from the stream. The Ponca call it the Corn is in the Silk Moon, meaning it's a good time to harvest the corn; other tribes have similar names, such as the Big Ripening Moon of the Creek and Seminole Indians or the even more simply named Corn Moon of the Zuni. The Choctaw refer to this as Women’s Moon, and it’s true that the moon’s features suggest to many the profile of a woman’s head – the lady in the moon. To the Cherokee, though, this is the Drying Up Moon, appropriate after a long hot spell of summer weather.
