Almanac Astrology
18th – 22nd – A most barren period. Kill plant pests and do general farm work.
23rd – 24th – Sow grains and forage crops. Plant flowers. Favorable for planting peas, beans, tomatoes, other fall crops bearing aboveground
25th – 26th – Start seedbeans. Extra good for fall cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, mustard greens, and other leafy vegetables. Good for any above ground crop that can be planted now
27th – 28th – Barren days, neither plant nor snow
29th – 30th – Any aboveground crops that can be planted now will do well
31st – Good day for killing weeds, briars, and other plant pests. Poor for planting.
What is a ‘Blue Moon’ and when is the next one?
For more than half a century, whenever two full Moons appeared in a single month (which happens on average every
2 1/2 to 3 years), the second has been christened a “Blue Moon.” (In our lexicon, we describe an unusual event as happening “Once in a Blue Moon.”) However, there’s another definition of “Blue Moon” that has to do with the number of full Moons throughout a single season, which is the case in August 2024. But is this the correct definition? For the longest time, nobody knew exactly why the second full Moon of a calendar month was designated as a “Blue Moon.” One
explanation connects it with the word belewe from Old English, meaning, “to betray.” Perhaps, then, the Moon was “belewe” because it betrayed the usual perception of one full Moon per month? That makes sense! However, in the
March 1999 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, writer Phillip Hiscock decided to get to the bottom of the somewhat confusing origin of the term. It seems that the modern custom of naming the second full Moon of any given month a
“Blue Moon” was actually based on a misinterpretation outlined in an article in the March 1946 Sky & Telescope magazine. That article was titled, “Once in a Blue Moon,” written by James Hugh Pruett, who incorrectly summarized what he read in the Maine Farmers’ Almanac (no relation to this Farmers’ Almanac based in Lewiston, Maine). Pruett declared that a second full Moon in a calendar month is a “Blue Moon.” However, Pruett’s summary was an incorrect interpretation of what the almanac was saying!
When Will The Next Blue Moon Appear?
There are two ways of determining a Blue Moon. The first is when there are
two in one calendar month. The second is when there are four full Moons in
any given season. According to the seasonal rule, the third Moon is considered
to be “blue.” The next Blue Moon by the “two-in-one-month” definition
is August 31, 2023. This will also be a supermoon.Here is a list of Blue
Moons according to the “seasonal” rule: August 19,2024 May 20, 2027
August 24, 2029 August 21, 2032 May 22, 2035
Visible planets and night sky for the month of July
Saturn shines in the southeast before dawn near the Water Jar
asterism in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. Saturn is
racing toward its opposition in August 2023, when it’ll be at its
best for the year and visible all night. It’ll rise before midnight at
the beginning of July and before 10 p.m. by the month’s end. Chart
via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
Our solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter, will be the brightest
natural object in the morning sky, except for the moon. At the beginning
of July, Jupiter was rising about 2 a.m. your local time in
the east, in front of the zodiacal constellation Aries the Ram. By the
end of July, it’ll rise around midnight (that’s local time, your time
wherever you are). The moon will pass by Jupiter on July 11. Nearby
you’ll notice the glow of the delicate Pleiades star cluster. Chart
via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
On the evenings of July 24 and 25, 2023, the 1st quarter moon
will pass by the bright star Spica in Virgo the Maiden. The glare
from the bright moon may make seeing Spica difficult, however.
Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
