Off you go on a cold November evening, all wrapped up to the ears and carting telescope, tripod, camera and peripherals. Yup, it's full moon night, and you are SO looking forward to your lunar doings. The thermometer is reading well below zero, but you're primed and frisky and ready to roll.
Alas, the sky is an ocean of heavy rolling cloud from here to there, and there is no moon to be seen. After some long time, you motor dejectedly back indoors lugging what seems to be the equivalent of a whole truckload of stuff. How on earth do you manage to carry all this stuff around over hill and dale, sometimes on skis or snowshoes or riding a bicycle? Boats, canoes and kayaks are easy.
A mug of hot chocolate beckons, and so does the lovely new bag of marshmallows in the pantry. We will simply gaze into the apple logs on the hearth and remember other November moons (sigh), then trot in here to the computer and visit all our favorite astronomy websites. A not-so-long-ago article at Caltech's site details the university's annual Halloween pumpkin experiment, and it is hilarious reading.
We also know this moon as the All Gathered Moon, Beaver Moon, Bison Moon, Blood Moon, Buffalo Moon, Chrysanthemum Moon, Cold Begins Moon, Corn Harvest Moon,Dark Moon, Deer Rutting Moon, Eleventh Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Fire Friend Moon, Fog Moon, Freezing Moon, Freezing River Maker Moon, Frost Moon, Geese Going Moon, Harvest Moon, Holy Frost Moon, Hunter's Moon, Jacaranda Moon, Large Tree Freeze Moon, Little Bear's Moon, Long Moon, Mad Moon, Moon of Cold, Moon of Fledgling Hawk, Moon of Freezing, Moon of Storms, Moon of the Falling Leaves, Moon of the Shaker Leaves, Moon of the Turkey and Feast, Moon the Rivers Begin to Freeze, Moon When All Is Gathered in, Moon When Deer Shed Antlers, Moon When Deer Shed Their Antlers, Moon When Horns Are Broken Off, Moon When the River Freezes, Moon When the Rivers Start to Freeze, Moon When the Water Is Black with Leaves, Mourning Moon, Mourning Moon, Moon of Much Poverty, Prunus Moon, Ring-finger Moon, Sacrifice Moon, Samoni Moon, Sassafras Moon, Snow Moon, Snow Moon, Snow Moon, Snowy Mountains in the Morning Moon, Summer’s End Moon, Trading Moon, Trading Moon, Trading Moon, Trail Moon, Tree Moon, White Frost on Grass & Ground Moon, White Moon, Whitefish Moon, Willow Moon, Winter Divided Moon, Yew Moon