The last Super Moon of 2020 will occur on Thursday 7 May. Called the Flower Moon, Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon. Unfortunately this will only be visible in the Northern Hemisphere.
A Super Moon occurs when a new or full moon is situated on its point closest approach to Earth. This point is called its perigee. The Moon will subsequently appear brighter and bigger.
The Super Flower Moon gets its name from early Native American tribes. According to Time and Date, the name is symbolic of the flowers that bloom in the Northern Hemisphere at this time. These flowers include anemone, wild garlic, indigo, bluebells, lupine, sundrops, violets and more.
‘The Full Moon of May is known as Flower Moon to signify the flowers that bloom during this month. There is a myriad of wildflowers which bloom in May in the Northern Hemisphere, where these traditional Full Moon names originated,’ says Time and Date.
Essentially the colourful, natural displays of fresh life inspired the name of the moon.
Tracking the seasons by following the lunar month, rather than the solar year, was common practice in the past. The solar year is what our modern 12 month calendar is based on.
‘For millennia, people across Europe, as well as Native American tribes, named the months after features they associated with the Northern Hemisphere seasons, and many of these names are very similar or identical.’
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