Final 3 Full Moons of 2012

The last 3 Full Moons of 2012 with their Native American names.

Oct. 29, 3:49 a.m. EDT – Full Hunter’s Moon.With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can ride over the stubble, and can more easily see the foxes and other animals that have come out to glean and can be caught for a Thanksgiving banquet after the harvest.

The Full Hunter's Moon: October's Moon Guide

Nov. 28, 9:46 a.m. EST --Full Beaver Moon. Now it is time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Full Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter. This full moon is also called the Frosty Moon. Since the moon arrives at apogee less than six hours later, this will also be the smallest full moon of 2012. In terms of apparent size, it will appear 12 percent smaller than the full moon of May 5. There is also a penumbral lunar eclipse with this full moon; observers in the western parts of the U.S. and Canada might notice the upper part of the moon appearing slightly darker as 92 percent of the moon’s diameter becomes immersed in the fainter penumbral shadow of Earth.

Dec. 28, 5:21 a.m. EST -- Full Cold Moon. December is usually considered the month that the winter cold begins to fasten its grip. It is also called the Full Long Night Moonsince nights are at their longest and darkest. The term "Long Night Moon" is a doubly appropriate name because the mid-winter night is indeed long and the moon hangs above the horizon for a long time. The mid-winter full moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite to the low sun. (SPACE.com)

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3 Links of Interest:

1. Did NASA's Voyager 1 Spacecraft Just Exit the Solar System?
"It will be another giant leap for mankind when NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft becomes the first manmade object to venture past the solar system's edge and into the uncharted territory of interstellar space. But did this giant leap already occur?"
Read More @ SPACE.com

2. Speed of Universe's Expansion Measured Better Than Ever
"The universe just got a new speeding ticket.

The most precise measurement ever made of the speed of the universe's expansion is in, thanks to NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and it's a doozy. Space itself is pulling apart at the seams, expanding at a rate of 74.3 plus or minus 2.1 kilometers (46.2 plus or minus 1.3 miles) per second per megaparsec (a megaparsec is roughly 3 million light-years)."
Read More @ Scientific American

3. How solar storms create the Northern Lights
The solar storms that create the Northern Lights that have been seen this week are being studied by scientists in the Arctic to see why they disrupt satellite navigation systems.

Flares from the Sun interact with the upper atmosphere and can distort the signals from global positioning satellites, affecting measurements by tens of metres.

The research project is under way at a remote observatory in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard in the High Arctic.

Professor Dag Lorentzen explained to the BBC's science editor David Shukman how solar storms affected the Earth's magnetic field to create the aurora borealis
BBC News video