The Old Farmer's Almanac 2017 [2017 ed.] 1571987045, 9781571987044

Citation preview

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Richmond

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|ALMANAC.COM DEGREE HUMOR” “USEFUL, PLEASANT OF AWITH

ROBERT B. THOMAS FOUNDED

IN

TABL ASTR FEA HOL TIDE ALS

NUMBER

TWO

HUNDRED

AND

TWENTY-FIVE

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC CALCULATED ON A NEW AND IMPROVED PLAN FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD

DED DISCAR Public Library

/Richmond

Being Ist after Leap Year and (until July 4) 241st year of American Independence FITTED FOR BOSTON AND THE NEw ENGLAND STATES, WITH SPECIAL CORRECTIONS AND CALCULATIONS TO ANSWER FOR ALL THE UNITED STATES. Containing, besides the large number of Astronomical Calculations and the Farmer’s Calendar for every month in the year, a variety of

New, USEFUL, & ENTERTAINING MATTER. ESTABLISHED IN 1792 BY ROBERT B. THOMAS (1766 -1846)

We ever feel grateful for the indulgent preference which our friends and patrons have heretofore shown for our little manual. —Robert B. Thomas, in The 1829 (Old) Farmer’s Almanac

Cover design registered

Copyright © 2016 by Yankee Publishing Incorporated

U.S. Trademark Office

ISSN 0078-4516

017

Library of Congress

Card No. 56-29681

Cover illustration by Steven Noble * Original wood engraving (above) by Randy Miller

THE OLD FARMER’sS ALMANAC * DUBLIN, NH 03444 ° 603-563-8111 - ALMANAC.COM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

1

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2017

(om @xele)- __—.BY SUSAN PEERY [LLUSTRATION BY KRISTIN KEST

GARDENING gardened

from merchants in Europe; the advent

the way their European ancestors had and grew most of the same crops: peas, beans, cabbages, carrots, beets, turnips, greens, and onions, plus a few not widely

of large mail-order seed companies was a century away. For others, a most important task was to save seeds from the best specimens of each crop. The mys-

mericans

in 1792

teries of genetics in plant breeding not

known today, such as scorzonera, car-

yet having been revealed, practiced gar-

doons,

deners knew how to grow plants successfully in their soil, their climate. Thanks to our ancestral seed-savers

skirrets, and orach. They also

grew flint corn, pumpkins,

potatoes,

sweet potatoes, and other native crops.

A MOST IMPORTANT TASK WAS TO SAVE SEEDS FROM THE BEST SPECIMENS OF €ACH CROP. Few grew tomatoes, sugar snap peas, sweet corn, or brussels sprouts, all bred or popularized in the 19th century or later. But they likely mixed herbs among their vegetables to keep both at hand “for Meate or Medicine,” as the Pilgrims would have said. They harvested continuously, pickling, drying, fermenting, root cellaring, salting, and otherwise preserving anything they or their livestock couldn’t eat on the spot. Wealthy gardeners ordered seeds

44

and the generations that followed, we still can grow vegetables that are direct descendants of the old types. These

“heirlooms”

and

others

are

widely

available from seed houses. Most are open-pollinated (can be saved and

will reproduce faithfully); some, like the popular Amish ‘Brandywine’ pink tomato, have also been hybridized to improve certain traits. Here are some heirlooms to try. (continued)

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U P=)a.U < x etyvn

(recipe ’ page 258)

FOOD GARDENING

Kl ees

heh

Turn the bounty of the garden into a condiment to keep and share. 5 cups coarsely chopped green bell pepper

1. Combine chopped vegetables. Sprinkle with salt. Set aside overnight.

3 cups coarsely chopped red bell

2. Rinse and drain vegetables, discarding

PEPper ; 4 cups coarsely chopped onions 4 cups coarsely chopped cabbage / cup pickling salt 6 cups sugar 2 tablespoons mustard seed 1 tablespoon celery seed 11/ teaspoons turmeric

liquid. Put vegetables into a stockpot.

4 cups apple cider vinegar

3. In a bowl, combine sugar, spices, vinegar, and 2 cups water. Whisk to blend.

Pour over vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. 4. Pack into sterilized jars, seal, and process in a hot water bath. Makes about 5 quarts.

HUSBANDRY

Go hog-wild when the gang comes over! your favorite dip (guacamole,

Fill a small bowl with dip. Place a pretzel “snout” in the center of dip. Stand two tortilla chip “ears” upright

hummus, ranch)

small pretzels triangle tortilla ‘chips pimentos

and touching at the bowl’s edge. Near the pretzel,

place two pimento “eyes.” Repeat in other bowls. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or veggie sticks.

for Weather: Snow Pudding, Nature: Ladybug Cupcakes, Calendar: Day-

After--Thanksgiving Hash, Home Remedies: Granny's Chicken Soup, History: George Washington’s Eggnog, and Astronomy: Cinnamon Stars 85

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ie

5:04 p.m. All regions of North America will be able to view a partial eclipse at some point

Kansas City, Jefferson City, and St. Louis,

during this time span (exact times depend on

MO; Nashville, TN; and Columbia and Charleston, SC. For more details, see page

specific locations). The total eclipse—view-

able for up to 2 minutes and 40 seconds at

130. The next total solar eclipse visible from

most—will be visible only along a narrow path running southeastward from Oregon to South Carolina and crossing through parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and

North America will occur in-2024.

North Carolina. Cities that will experience totality include

REE

Salem,

OR;

Lincoln,

NE;

The Moon’s Path

The Moon’s path across the sky changes with

the seasons. Full Moons are very high in the sky (at midnight) between November and February and very low in the sky between May and July.

Next Total Next TotalEclipses Eclipses ofofthe thoSun Sun

ay

July 2, 2019: visible from South America and the South Pacific Ocean. December 14, 2020: visible from South America and Antarctica.

118

Find more heavenly details at Almanac.com.

2017

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ASTRONOMY

Bright Stars |

™ This table shows the time (EST or EDT) and altitude of a star as it transits the meridian (i.e., reaches its highest elevation while passing over the , ey horizon’s south point) at Boston on the dates shown. The transit time on any other date differs from that of the nearest date listed by approximately 4 minutes per day. To find the time of a star’s transit for your location, convert its time at Boston using Key Letter C (see Time Corrections, page 252). Time of Transit (EST/EDT)

Bold =p.m. Light= a.m.

Star

Altair Deneb Fomalhaut Algol Aldebaran Rigel Capella Bellatrix Betelgeuse Sirius Procyon Pollux Regulus Spica Arcturus Antares Vega

Constellation

Aquila Cygnus __Psc. Aus. Perseus Taurus Orion Auriga Orion Orion Can. Maj. Can. Min. Gemini Leo Virgo Bootes Scorpius Lyra

Magnitude

0.8 3 eZ PED 0.9 0.1 0.1 1.6 var. 0.4 -1.4 0.4 12 1.4 var. 1.0 -0.1 var. 0.9 0 |

Jan, 1

Nov.1

Altitude (degrees)

12:50 1:40 3:56 8:06 9:33 10:12 10:14 10:22 10:52 11:42 12:40 12:46 3:09 6:25 TAS 9:29 11:36

5:50 6:41 8:57 LE] 2:38 B:17 3:19 3:27 3:57 4:47 5:41 5:47 8:10 11:26 12:16 2:30 4:36

56.3 92.8 17.8 88.5 64.1 39.4 93.6 54.0 55.0 31.0 529 75.7 59:7 36.6 66.9 21.3 86.4

——sRiseandSetTimes and Set Times

M@ To find the time of a star’s rising at Boston on any date, subtract the interval shown at

Interval

Star

right from the star’s transit time on that date; — Altair

Rising

Setting

(h.m.)

Key

Dir.*

Key

Dir.*

636

B

EbN'

E

WbN

add the interval to find the star’s setting time.

Fomalhaut

359

E

SE

D

SW

To find the rising and setting times for your

Aldebaran

ia

2

ENE

D

WNW

ay convert the

—_Bellatrix

EbN

D

WbN

;

he B

Hane

ae

Rigel

So)

627

B

using the Key Letter shown at right before

Betelgeuse

631

B

EbN

D

WbN

applying the interval (see Time Corrections,

Sirius

es

D

ESE

B

WSW

page 252). The directions in which the stars

Procyon

623.

B

EbN

D

WbN

rise and set, shown for Boston, are generally ‘eful th h He‘ United ene

Pollux Regulus

801 649

A B

NE EbN

E D

NW WbN

Boston transit aynes adOVe

useful throughout the Unite tates. eneb, Algol, Capella, and Vega are circumpolar stars—they never set but appear to circle the celestial north pole.

120

Spica Arcturus Antares *b = “by”

-3 719 417

D

D A E

EbS.

EbS ENE SEbE

Find more heavenly details at Almanac.com/Astronomy.

B

-B -E A

WbS

WhS WNW SWbW

2017

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

121

ASTRONOMY

The Twilight Zone wilight is the time when the sky is partially illuminated preceding sunrise and again following sunset. The ranges of twilight are defined according to the Sun’s position below the horizon. Civil twilight occurs when the Sun’s center is between the horizon and 6 degrees below the horizon (visually, the horizon is clearly defined). Nautical twilight occurs when the center is between 6 and 12 degrees below the horizon (the horizon is distinct). Astronomical twilight occurs

when the center is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon (sky illumination is imperceptible). When the center is at 18 degrees (dawn or dark) or below, there is no illumination. Length of Astronomical Twilight (hours and minutes) - Jan.1

LATITUDE

|

25°N to 30°N 31°Nto36°N 37°Nto42°N 43°Nto47°N 48°Nto49°N

= Apr.11

to

May3

May15

July23

to

_ Apr.10

May2

Mayi4

May25

July22

Aug.3

jap

123 1 28 139 151 2 04

1 26 134 147 202 2 22

129 1 38 152 213 242

132 1.43 1:59 224 —

129 138 32 213 2 42

udy) aie) | aagues) |emy ‘Seteye)

to

May26

to

to

Aug.4

to

Aug.15

to

Sept.6

to

to

Aug.14

Sept.5

Dec. 31

1 26 134 147 202 pans

123 128 139 151 2 04

120 1 26 133 142 150

TO DETERMINE THE LENGTH OF TWILIGHT: The

determine when dawn breaks. Add the length

length of twilight changes with latitude and

of twilight to the time of sunset to determine

the time of year. See the Time Corrections, page

when dark descends.

252, to find the latitude of your city or the city

EXAMPLE:

nearest you. Use that figure in the chart above

with the appropriate date to calculate the length of twilight in your area.

Boston, Mass. (latitude 42°22') Sunrise, August 1

TO DETERMINE WHEN DAWN OR DARK WILL

ee

OCCUR: Calculate the sunrise/sunset times for

mieli

your locality using the instructions in How to Use This Almanac, page 138. Subtract the length of twilight from the time of sunrise to

Sunset, August1 Length of twilight Dark descends

SHOWER

BEST VIEWING

POINT OF ORIGIN

N

Jan. 4

Gvtid aweeaon ee Predawn BiavAguarid..... eee Predawn

Ss SE

Apr.22. May4

Delta Aquarid........ Predawn

eo eke

DATE OF MAXIMUM *

Quadrantid ......... Predawn

5:37 a.m. EDT

8:03 p.m. EDT +152 9:55 p.m.

NO. PER HOUR**

ASSOCIATED COMET

25

i

—

| |

FD. LOLS

hes es

Thatcher Halley

10

:

S

July 30

NE

Aug. 11-13

|

50

Draconid)c. sta eat Late evening Onionid Ese eee Predawn RaUniG haietar setae Late evening

NW S S

S

Oct. 9 Oct. 21-22 Nov. 9

| i

6 15 3

Nov. 17-18

|

10

TempelTuttle

Andromedid: (yen, aan Late evening Geminid............ All night

S NE

Nov. 25-27 Dec. 13-14

| |

5) 75

Biela ——

N

Deca22

>)

Tuttle

Rerseid'....sn

eee Predawn

Leonid. 2.0% same ae Predawn

NWSSIdL sens Syren ae ee Predawn *May vary by one or two days

122

**Moonless, rural sky

se Swift-Tuttle

| Giacobini-Zinner Halley Encke

Bold = most prominent

Find more heavenly details at Almanac.com/Astronomy.

2017

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

123

ASTRONOMY

H Listed here for Boston are viewing suggestions for and the rise and set times (EST/ EDT) of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn on specific days each month, as well as when it is best to view Mercury. Approximate rise and set times for other days can be found by interpolation. Use the Key Letters at the right of each listing to convert the times for other localities (see pages 138 and 252). For all planet rise and set times by zip code, visit Almanac.com/ Astronomy.

CO

ae

RR

See eg

This is a very unusual year for the brightest planet. It is vividly visible the first 11 months of 2017; in most years, it is lost in solar glare about a third of the time. This is

because it has no superior conjunction this year and goes behind the Sun only in December. January begins with Venus nicely high in the west and steadily brightening. It reaches greatest brilliancy in February at a shadow-casting magnitude -4.8, then rapidly plunges downward in March for its inferior conjunction on the 25th. Venus quickly returns as a morning star in April and shines at its brightest at the end of that month and in early May. Remaining conspicuous before dawn until November, it has no tight conjunctions with the Moon in 2017 but does offer a super-close meeting with Mars on October 5. Janoleee: set Jane ee set Panwa lan set | Breloval leReecet set Bebauldesc. set Feb. 21...... set Watiel verve set Mar. 11..... set Mar. 21....rise

8:15 8:32 8:46 8:54 8:55 8:45 8:26 7:44 6:18

Apts Apr. Apr. May

lanterns rise 5:26 11.....rise 4:50 21.....rise 4:22 1......rise 4:00 a RISC See, = pK May 21....rise 3:26 ietstoed banit rise 3:09 June I. tise) §2:56 DBOUDTDNIANAD June 21....rise 2:45

Uy ol ee: HSe 2557 Waly Wa tise "eo July:2 nc. rise? 2232 Aug. 1......rise 2:38 ‘ =e n o 2:49 > = ag Aug. 21....rise 3:04 Sept. 1 .....tse. 3:20 Sept. 11....rise 3:48 DWWAANIANAN Sept. 21 ..rise 4:11

SE

Octlesen rise 4:35 Oct. 11.....risé. 4:59 Oct)2 i... Tse, 5223) Nov. Licss:. rise 5:50 Z, ° = ey eS eG Nov. 21....rise 5:41 Dees cee. rise 6:06 Dec. 11....rise 6:31 Dec. 21....rise 6752 DmOmWrrrrunwyw Dec. 31....rise 7:09

AMma

Mars comes close to Earth every 26 months, so it alternates years of brilliancy. This is one

of its “off” years. Still, it starts 2017 at a respectable magnitude 1, in Aquarius, and meets the crescent Moon on January 2. It is an easy naked-eye object as it floats a

third of the way up the southwestern sky at nightfall. Each month finds it dimmer and lower. By May, it is closer to magnitude 2 and quite low, vanishing by month’s end. It invisibly sidles behind the Sun on July 26; starts to appear as a dim, low morning star in September; and has super-close conjunctions with Mercury on September 16 and Venus on October 5. Slowly brightening, it rises 4 hours before the Sun at year’s end. Jarteslieey.t set :-9:17, B Variables sot). 9:17. CO Jany 2b... set 9:16 C 1st]oe ey peeee set, 9145) .C. Keb. 10.2% set 9:14 D PED, .2 licess. set 9:13. D Mat. all v.75. Set. 9121s Mar. 11.....set 9:10 D Mar. 21.....set 10:08 E & Bold=p.m.

124

RAprls.. iss set 10:06 RAINE cass set 10:03 Apr 2124, set 10:00 Mayall a5. set 9:56 Mayll....set 9:51 May 21.....set 9:44 June sue eres set 9:35. Junell.....set 9:24 June 21.....set 9:12

E E E E E E E E E

July 1........ set July 11...... set July 21...... set Aug.1......rise Aug. 1l...nse Aug.21...nse Septiie.sise: Sept. 1l...rise Sept.21..rise

8:58 E 8:42 E 8:240E 5:26 B 5:20°B 5:15 B 5:08 B 5:02 B 4:55 B

Oct. 1....:.: rise Oct. 11....rise (Oct) 21....nse Nov. 1......rise Nov. 1l...nse~ Nov. 2]..aise Decwii& ratory, Dec. 11....rise Dec. 21....rise Dec. 31....rise

4:48 2442 14:35 4:27) 3:20 3:13 SOs). 2:59 2:52 2:44

C C © C C D 818) D D E

© Light = a.m.

Find more heavenly details at Almanac.com/Astronomy.

2017

;

f

ASTRONOMY

Jupiter spends about a year in each zodiacal constellation. This year, it’s in Virgo, initially

hovering above the blue star Spica. In January, it rises at around midnight and then comes up 2 hours earlier each month. On April 7, Jove reaches its opposi-

tion, when it is brightest and out all night long. Jupiter remains perfectly placed for observation throughout the spring and early summer, starts getting low in the west in August, and vanishes behind the Sun in October. By December, it has re-emerged in the east, to rise by 4:00 a.m. in its new home of Libra. Its tightest 2017 conjunctions are with the Moon on April 10, May 7, June 3 and 30, and July 28 and with Venus on November 13. an 4.58 rise 12:43 Jan. 11.....rise 12:08 Jae 2 rise 11:28 Rebrle. rise 10:47 Bebs ih... rise 10:07 Hep. 21 cat rise 9:26 Marat 2... rise 8:52 Mar. 11.... rise 8:08 Mar. 21.... rise 8:24

h

pial ete tise ADI leone SCL Apr. 21......set May 1....... set =< p K ake set May 21.....set

7:34 OnLO) 5:34 4:52 4:10 3:29

une le... set June Ves. set

2:44 2:05

whekohohohohehohe) June 21 e..set 1:26

Julyele ee: set July 1 set July21ee set Augslineus set > S| gQ ren set Aug. 21.....set Sept 1.2. set Sept. 11.....set @1@' @ Qar® Gale! Sept. 21....set

12:47 12:09 11:28 10:48 10:12 9:36 8:58 8:23 7:48

Ocul. set 7:14 Octeliizecs set 6:39 Och 2ite, set 6:05 Nov. 1...... rise 6:54 catiSee, D:20 Z, ° = Nov. 21....rise 4:57 Declan... rise 4:29 Dec. 11.....rise. “4:00 Dec. 21 ....rise 3:30 DWWANANAIANN Dec. 31....rise 3:00

DOVG

Saturn’s famous rings are optimally angled for maximum display this year, letting small

telescopes view the entire circumference of the outermost A-ring. However, being in Ophiuchus, it’s at a very southerly declination, so it never appears high to North American observers. Saturn opens 2017 low in the east at dawn but rises 2 hours earlier each month and before midnight starting in May. It reaches its nearest approach to Earth on June 15, when it is out all night. Saturn remains well placed all summer. Sinking low in October, it falls into dusk’s twilight and is gone until next year. Saturn has striking conjunctions with the Moon on May 13, June 9, July 6, and September 26. Janel x..5- rise 5:45 Jan. 11.....rise 5:10 Jan. 21.....rise 4:36 1 SCS)aya be rises) 3:5)/ Hebi rise) 3:22 Feb. 21.....rise 2:46 Mar. 1...... TSerm2 6 Mar il. tise a k39 Mar. 21....rise 2:01

Apt Apr. Apr. May

liz. risemels9 11.....rise 12:39 21..... rise 11:55 1...... rise 11:15 < & —— ... tise 10:33 May 21.... rise 9:51 Gunele as, rise 9:05 June 11.... rise 8:22 June 21.....set 4:57 coies| comes Meco eomesmcoles

Sulys eer set 4:15 July idee. Sete 3:53 July 202.3: Setmez-oil JNU leet set 2:05 Aug. 11.....set 1:25 Aug. 21.....set 12:45 Sept: lear set 11:57 Sept. 11.....set 12:19 rUMmMmmamamnm Sept. 21.... set 10:41

Oct i. set 10:03 Octrlizes set 9:27 Octe2ie.. set 8:50 NOV. ss escce set 8:11 Nov. 11..... set 6:36 Nov. 21.....set 6:01 Dec, tae: set 5:26 Dec. 11.....set 4:52 LS Prrrrr rrrDec 2 lierise 09) Dec oilue. mSemO.50

>rr Amr

The innermost planet alternately darts from morning to evening sky and back again every few months. To be observed easily, Mercury must be at least 5 degrees above the hori-

zon 40 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. Favorable “evening star” conditions occur in fading twilight from March 18 to April 6 and from July 7 to 26. Mercury is an observable morning star from January 6 to 27 and from September 8 to 24. Mercury and Mars have a dramatic conjunction on September 16, which will be challengingly low to see. DO NOTCONFUSE @ Jupiter with Virgo’s brightest star, Spica: Jupiter is much brighter, and Spica is blue. @ Jupiter with Venus in mid-November: Venus is brighter. @ Mercury with Mars in mid-September: Both look orange, but Mercury is much brighter.

2017

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

125

ASTRONOMY

Astronomical Glossary Aphelion (Aph.): The point in a planet’s orbit that is farthest from the Sun.

PINS a

MAW, i enaar.

tik

Apogee (Apo.): The point in the Moon’s orbit that is farthest from Earth. Celestial

Equator (Eq.): The imaginary

circle around the celestial sphere that can be thought of as the plane of Earth’s equator projected out onto the sphere.

Celestial Sphere: An imaginary sphere projected into space that represents the entire sky, with an observer on Earth at its center. All celestial bodies other than Earth are imagined

as being on its inside surface. Circumpolar: Always visible above the horizon, such as a circumpolar star. Conjunction: The time at which two or more celestial bodies appear closest in the sky. Inferior (Inf.): Mercury or Venus is between the Sun and Earth. Superior (Sup.): The Sun is between a planet and Earth. Actual dates for conjunctions are given on the Right-Hand Calendar Pages; the best times for viewing the

closely aligned bodies are given in Sky Watch on the Left-Hand Calendar Pages.

(es \

mes

aI?

WE SA

\V

within a narrow band on Earth. Annular: The Moon appears silhouetted against the Sun, with a ring of sunlight showing around it. Partial: The Moon blocks only part of the Sun. Ecliptic: The apparent annual path of the

Sun around the celestial sphere. The plane of the ecliptic is tipped 23'4° from the celestial equator. Elongation: The difference in degrees be-

tween the celestial longitudes of a planet and the Sun. Greatest Elongation (Gr. Elong.): The greatest apparent distance of a planet

from the Sun, as seen from Earth. Epact: A number from | to 30 that indicates the Moon’s age on January | at Greenwich,

England; used in calculations for determining the date of Easter.

Declination: The celestial latitude of an object in the sky, measured in degrees north or south of the celestial equator; analogous to latitude on Earth. This Almanac gives the Sun’s declination at noon.

Equinox: When the Sun crosses the celestial equator. This event occurs two times each year: Vernal is around March 20 and Autumnal is around September 22.

Eclipse, Lunar: The full Moon enters the shadow of Earth, which cuts off all or part of

western horizon at sunset and less than 180° east of the Sun in right ascension.

the sunlight reflected off the Moon. Total: The

Golden Number: A number in the 19-year cycle of the Moon, used in calculations for determining the date of Easter. (Approximately

Moon passes completely through the umbra

Evening Star: A planet that is above the

(central dark part) of Earth’s shadow. Partial: Only part of the Moon passes through the umbra. Penumbral: The Moon passes through

every 19 years, the Moon’s phases occur on

only the penumbra (area of partial darkness surrounding the umbra). See Eclipses for more information about eclipses.

Number. If there is no remainder, use 19.

the same dates.) Add 1 to any given year and divide by 19; the remainder is the Golden Magnitude: A measure of a celestial object’s

Eclipse, Solar: Earth enters the shadow of

brightness. Apparent magnitude measures

the new Moon, which cuts off all or part of the Sun’s light. Total: Earth passes through

the brightness of an object as seen from Earth. Objects with an apparent magnitude of 6 or less are observable to the naked eye.

the umbra (central dark part) of the Moon’s shadow, resulting in totality for observers

126

The lower the magnitude, the greater the

Get local rise, set, and tide times at Almanac.com/Astronomy.

2017

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ASTRONOMY

Astronomical Glossary brightness. An object with a magnitude of —1, for example, is brighter than an object with a magnitude of +1. Midnight: Astronomically, the time when

the Sun is opposite its highest point in the sky. Both 12 hours before and after noon (so, technically, both a.m. and p.M.), midnight in civil time is usually treated as the beginning of the day, rather than the end. It is typically displayed as 12:00 a.m. on 12-hour digital clocks. On a 24-hour time cycle, 00:00, rather

than 24:00, usually indicates midnight. Moon on Equator: The Moon is on the celes-

tial equator. Moon Rides High/Runs Low: The Moon is

highest above or farthest below the celestial equator. Moonrise/Moonset: When the Moon rises above or sets below the horizon. Moon’s Phases: The changing appearance

of the Moon, caused by the different angles at which it is illuminated by the Sun. First

Quarter: Right half of the Moon is illuminated. Full: The Sun and the Moon are in opposition; the entire disk of the Moon is illumi-

nated. Last Quarter: Left half of the Moon is illuminated. New: The Sun and the Moon are in conjunction; the Moon is darkened because

it lines up between Earth and the Sun. Moon’s Place, Astronomical: The position

of the Moon within the constellations on the celestial sphere at midnight. Astrological: The position of the Moon within the tropical

When the body is moving from south to north of the ecliptic. Descending: When the body is moving from north to south of the ecliptic. Occultation (Occn.): The eclipse of a star or

planet by the Moon or another celestial object. Opposition: The Moon or a planet appears on the opposite side of the sky from the Sun (elongation 180°). Perigee (Perig.): The point in the Moon’s

orbit that is closest to Earth. Perihelion (Perih.): The point in a planet’s orbit that is closest to the Sun. Precession: The slowly changing position of the stars and equinoxes in the sky caused by a slight wobble as Earth rotates around its axis. Right Ascension (R.A.): The celestial longitude of an object in the sky, measured east-

ward along the celestial equator in hours of time from the vernal equinox; analogous to longitude on Earth. Solar Cycle: In the Julian calendar, a period

of 28 years, at the end of which the days of the month return to the same days of the week. Solstice, Summer: When the Sun reaches its greatest declination (231°) north of the

celestial equator, around June 21. Winter: When the Sun reaches its greatest declination (23'/°) south of the celestial equator, around December 21.

Stationary (Stat.): The brief period of apparent halted movement of a planet against

along the ecliptic were named more than 2,000

the background of the stars shortly before it appears to move backward/westward (retrograde motion) or forward/eastward (direct

years ago after constellations within each area.

motion).

Because of precession and other factors, the

Sun Fast/Slow: When a sundial reading is ahead of (fast) or behind (slow) clock time.

zodiac, whose twelve 30° segments (signs)

zodiac signs no longer match actual constellation positions.

ern horizon at sunrise and less than 180° west of the Sun in right ascension.

Sunrise/Sunset: The visible rising and setting of the upper edge of the Sun’s disk across the unobstructed horizon of an observer whose eyes are 15 feet above ground level.

Node: Either of the two points where a celestial body’s orbit intersects the ecliptic. Ascending:

Twilight: For definitions of civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight, see page 122. m

Morning Star: A planet that is above the east-

128

Get local rise, set, and tide times at Almanac.com/Astronomy.

2017

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

129

ASTRONOMY

PAUN Wom CaustHnstci! Spectacle THE FIRST TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

OVER THE U.S. MAINLAND

IN 38 YEARS

WILL BE TOTALLY COOL—

ESPECIALLY IN ITS SHADOW. By Bob

Berman

O THE NAKED EYE, the sky is an inverted bowl hosting thousands of glowing points and two disks. The

points—stars and planets—exhibit no size because of their immense distance from Earth. The two disks are the Sun and Moon. By amazing coincidence, these disks appear exactly the same size. Why? The Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon but also 400 times

farther from Earth than the Moon. These facts allow the Moon to fit perfectly over the Sun’s face to create a total eclipse. Yet, it’s not so big that it blocks out the Sun’s dramatic hot-pink corona or atmosphere and not so small that it leaves the Sun’s blinding gas surface (photosphere) uncovered. This bizarre

alignment does not hold for any other planet and will not last forever: The Moon is spiraling away from Earth like a skyrocket and gradually increasing its separation.

The perfect lineup of these two disks (Sun and Moon) to form a total solar eclipse does not happen often—just once every 360

years, on average, for any one point on Earth. (This is one reason why relatively few people have ever seen one.) The U.S. mainland 130

Photo: NASA

GREATEST DURATION

Map: FreeVectorMaps.com

ASTRONOMY is currently experiencing its longest totality drought in history. The last total solar eclipse occurred on February 26, 1979, over northwestern states and south central Canada.

This cycle of paucity finally ends on August 21, 2017. EERIE EVENTS WITHIN THE RIBBON OF DARKNESS OR

SHEER

VISCERAL

im-

pact, a total solar eclipse is not

even remotely comparable to a lunar eclipse or partial solar eclipse. Or even major auroral displays. A solar totality stands alone. If you are in the right place, it creates darkness in daytime along a 140-mile-wide ribbon of Earth. The brightest stars come out in midday but not as you might presume: During totality, they appear in seasonal

reverse. In summer, the winter constel-

ECLIPSE

EQUIPMENT

The cost to watch this wondrous event is affordable for most people. For about $5, purchase “eclipse glasses” online or buy welding goggles at the nearest welding supply

store. Choose shade number 12 or 14 filters (even numbers are the most common). Number 12 makes the

solar image a bit brighter, but since the Sun will be high for this eclipse, 14 is probably ideal—but either will work. Do not use any other number.

Use the filtered shades during the hourlong partial phase before totality and then again afterward for.an hour.

.

Once totality begins, you can-watch the event for the duration of totality (between 2 and 2'/ minutes) with

naked eyes or through binoculars.

lations emerge; during a winter solar totality, summer’s stars appear. And that’s not all. An uncommon mind-set takes over people when the Sun, Moon, and your spot on Earth form a perfectly straight line in space. Many observers shout and

e The delicate tendrils of the Sun’s co-

babble. Some weep. Afterward, every-

rona splay into the surrounding sky in a

one proclaims it to be the greatest spectacle they have ever beheld. Beyond

manner wholly different from the way they appear in photos. e During the 10 minutes before and after totality, when the Sun is more than 80

that,

many

are

speechless.

(Animals

also exhibit odd behavior, such as fall-

ing strangely silent.) The experience surpasses all expectations and imaginings: e The eye sees the transition of the Moon over the Sun differently from photographs; because of under- or overexpo-

sure, a camera lens can not capture the same range of brightness as human vision.

132

The moment the first speck of sunlight returns at the edge of the Moon,

look away and use the filter again.

percent eclipsed and its light arrives only from its edge, or limb, earthly colors turn

richer and more saturated, while shadows become stark and oddly crisp—as if a different type of star is illuminating Earth. e As the Moon slides over the Sun, not only is light blocked in the ribbon of space, but solar heat is, too. The steady 2017

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

(81077

133

ASTRONOMY drop in temperature usually results in a haunting eclipse wind.

(Each town has a different clock time for totality. It happens during the morn-

e At 1 minute before and after totality,

ing over the Pacific Northwest, midday

all white and light-color ground surfaces underfoot (sidewalks, sand, the like) suddenly exhibit shimmering shadow bands everywhere. (Think of black lines on the bottom of a swimming pool that appear to wiggle.) This eerie phenomenon can make your hair stand on end, yet it can not be captured on film. (Try it!) Recent research suggests that shadow bands are the edges of atmospheric temperature cells (air pockets) made visible by the remaining tiny point of Sun. Their motion catches the eye despite their extremely low contrast. To witness these extraordinary phenomena, you need to be in totality’s path (see map, page 131). This year, you can

over southern Illinois, and afternoon over the southeastern states.)

e The eclipse shadow continues east and south in the midafternoon and concludes its track over Nashville, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; and a lot of smaller communities. If possible, travel to where the fore-

cast is for clear weather. For viewers outside of the ribbon of darkness (virtually the entire continent), this will be a partial eclipse, a fairly frequent sight (which does require eye

protection) that is interesting, yes—but nothing like solar totality. m

drive into it and watch from a roadside! Totality lasts longest—over 2 minutes— within the centerline of the ribbon. A

HE ECLIPSE’S path starts over

LUCKY SE . Total solar eclipses can be addictive. Fortunately, fanatics—and anyone who misses this year’s event—won’t need to wait 38 more years for the next U.S. and Canadian one—only 7. On April 8, 2024, solar totality will unfold over the continent in a path

the Pacific

that curves north from Texas; passes

partial eclipse will be visible outside of that ribbon, and the phenomena described above will not occur there. THE

RIBBON’S

ROUTE

Ocean

and

first

touches land in Oregon.

e The Moon’s shadow then traverses southern portions of Idaho; passes directly over both Jackson and Casper,

Wyoming; and continues eastward over Nebraska in late morning. e The path continues east and south, eventually passing over St. Joseph,

over Cleveland, Ohio, and Buffalo and Rochester, New York; sweeps over Burlington, Vermont; and then continues across central Maine and eastern Canada.

But why wait? Circle August 21 on your calendar and plan a rendezvous with the Moon’s shadow this summer!

Missouri, before continuing on to southwestern Illinois, where it reaches its maximum

duration of totality and

where the Sun will be highest in the sky. 134

Bob Berman, Old Farmer’s Almanac astronomy

editor, has led many eclipse and aurora expeditions, venturing as far as the Arctic and Antarctic.

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136

Love calendar lore? Find more at Almanac.com.

2017

The Calendar Pages (142-169)

are the heart of The Old

&

Robert B. Thomas published his first edition. The long columns of numbers and symbols reveal all of

astronomical data for the entire year and are what make

:

TGS ENEUTE DSU

nature’s precision, rhythm, and

this book a true almanac, a “calendar

of the heavens.” In essence, these pages are

glory, providing an astronomical look at the year 2017.

Why We Have Seasons

Vernal Equinox

CELESTIAL SEE

E O.U4

i

e

vue)

R

RR

&

Winter Solstice

SPRING —SS-

RY Ge Solstice

Autumnal Equinox

PLESTiay

EQUAT®

_ THE SEASONS OF 2017

Vernal equinox... March 20, 6:29 a.m. EDT Summer solstice.. June 21, 12:244.m. EDT

™ The seasons occur because as Earth revolves around the Sun, its axis remains

tilted at 23.5 degrees from the perpendicular. This tilt causes different latitudes on Earth to receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice marks the beginning of summer and occurs when the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun. The winter solstice marks the beginning of winter and occurs 2017

Autumnal equinox.... Sept. 22, 4:02 p.m. EDT Winter solstice....... Dec. 21, 11:28 a.m. EST

when the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun. The equinoxes occur when the hemispheres equally face the Sun. At this time, the Sun rises due east and sets due west. The vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring; the autumnal equinox marks the

beginning of autumn. In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons

are the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere. (continued)

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

137

Ar

robin TO USE The Left-Hand Calendar Pages ° 142-168 C A L E N D A R

The Left-Hand Calendar Pages contain sky highlights, daily Sun and Moon rise and set times, the length of day, high tide times, the Moon’s astronomical place.and age, and more for Boston. Examples of how to calculate astronomical times for your location are shown below. A

MONTH

SAMPLE

SKY WATCH % The box at the top of each Left-Hand Calendar Page describes the best times to view celestial highlights, including conjunctions, meteor showers, and planets. The dates on which select astronomical events occur appear on the Right-Hand Calendar Pages.

es set tp your zjp code at Length of Day

Declination of Sun

Almanac.com

High Tide Times Boston

= h.

= h.

10:25 D| 10:07 To calculate the sunrise time for your locale: Note the Sun Rise Key Letter on the chosen day. In the Time Corrections table on page 252, find your city or the city nearest you. Add or subtract the minutes that correspond to the Sun Rise Key Letter to/from the sunrise time given for Boston.

|p} AQU]

5

minus) of the Sun Rise Key Letter minutes.

Add or subtract it to/from the first result. EXAMPLE:

@ To calculate the length of day in Richmond, Virginia, on the first day of the month: Length of day, Boston (above)

9h. 10m.

Sunset Key Letter A

EXAMPLE:

for Richmond (p. 256)

Colorado, on the first day of the month: Sunrise, Boston, with Key Letter E (above)

7:13 a.m. EST

Sunrise, Denver

+

7 minutes

7:20 a.m. MST

Use the same procedure with Boston’s sunset

time and the Sun Set Key Letter value to calculate the time of sunset in your locale. To calculate the length of day for your

locale: Note the Sun Rise and Sun Set Key Letters on the chosen day. In the Time Cor-

rections table subtract the Sun Set Key day. Reverse 138

41m.

Reverse sunrise Key Letter E for Richmond (p. 256,+11to-11)

-

Length of day, Richmond

9h. 40m.

11m.

Use the Sun Fast column to change sun-

Value of Key Letter E for Denver (p. 252)

+

9h. 51m.

@ To calculate the time of sunrise in Denver,

on page 252, find your city. Add or minutes that correspond to the Letter to/from Boston’s length of the sign (minus to plus, or plus to

dial time to clock time. A sundial reads natural, or Sun, time, which is neither Standard nor Daylight time. To calculate clock time on a sundial in Boston, subtract the minutes given in this column; add the minutes when preceded by an asterisk [*]. To convert the time to your city, use Key Letter C in the table on page 252. ATTENTION, READERS: Ail times given in this edition of the Almanac are for Boston, Massachusetts, and are in Eastern Standard Time (EST), except from 2:00 A.m., March 12, until 2:00 a.m.,

November 5, when Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is given.

Get local rise, set, and tide times at Almanac.com/Astronomy.

2017

HOW

EXAMPLE:

Longitude of city

_@ To change sundial time to clock time in Boston, or, for example, in Salem, Oregon:

SSeS 1G

Sundial reading (Boston or Salem) Subtract Sun Fast (p. 138)

12:00 noon - 12 minutes

Clock time, Boston

11:48 a.m. EST

Use Key Letter C for Salem (p. 255)

+

Clock time, Salem

12:15 p.m. PST

27 minutes

This column gives the degrees and minutes of the Sun from the celestial

equator at noon EST or EDT. This column

Correction minutes

tere «We eiich tbl elarate

0

TALES} RSE lorena ene FieRRP UraaRES ean +1 900102 oe

|

TO USE

ck

eT

cen

emt

7)

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See

PCR

oir

+4

or cctkectrassi yale sdces iacsasaraace +5

oO

clare teyuieye in wave eave +6

Use the same procedure with Boston’s moonset time and the Moon Set Key Letter value to

calculate the time of moonset in your locale. EX

AM

Pe LE:

@ To calculate the time of moonset in Lan-

sing, Michigan, on the first day of the month:

gives the approximate

times of high tides in Boston. For example, the first high tide occurs at 1:00 a.m. and the second occurs at 1:00 p.m. the same day. (A dash indicates that high tide occurs on or

after midnight and is recorded on the next day.) Figures for calculating high tide times and heights for localities other than Boston are given in the Tide Corrections table on page 250. To calculate the moonrise time for your locale: Note the Moon Rise Key Letter on the chosen day. Find your city on page 252.

Add or subtract the minutes that correspond to the Moon Rise Key Letter to/from the moonrise time given for Boston. (A dash indicates that the moonrise occurs on or after midnight and is recorded on the next day.) Find the

longitude of your city on page 252. Add a correction in minutes for your city’s longitude (see table, above right).

Moonset, Boston,

with Key Letter C (p. 138) Value of Key Letter C for Lansing (p. 254)

7:59 p.m. EST + 53 minutes

Correction for Lansing longitude, 84° 33' Moonset, Lansing

+

1 minute

8:53 p.m. EST

The Moon’s Place is its astronomical

position among the constellations (not the zodiac) at midnight. For astrological data, see pages 244-246.

Constellations have irregular borders; on successive nights, the midnight Moon may enter one, cross into another, then move to a new area of the previous. It visits the 12 zodiacal constellations, as well as Auriga (AUR), a northern constellation between Perseus and Gemini; Cetus (CET), which lies south of the zodiac, just south of Pisces and Aries; Ophiuchus (OPH), a constellation primarily north of the zodiac but with a small corner between Scorpius and Sagittarius; Orion (ORI), a constellation whose northern limit first reaches the zodiac between Taurus and Gemini; and Sextans (SEX), which lies south of the zodiac

except for a corner that just touches it near Leo. The last column gives the Moon’s Age, ® Get the Left-Hand Calendar Pages with times set to your zip code at Almanac.com/Access.

2017

which is the number of days since the

previous new Moon. (The average length of the lunar month is 29.53 days.)

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

(continued)

139

DA

HOW

TO USE

‘The Right-Hand Calendar Pages + 143-169 _ A

C A L E N D A R

MONT H

SAMPLE

@ Weather prediction rhyme. @ Symbols for notable celestial events. (See opposite page for

1

Ash

2.

© res. Sper Se

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no . risk.

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Tuber Day 0 (( ar Qe Proteeional bieyele nie, (107

generally appear in this font.

appear in this font.

es

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@ Sundays and special holy days

events

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born, 1947

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water

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Note

c= For explanations of Almanac terms, see the glossaries on pages 126 and 171. Predicting Earthquakes @ Note the dates in the Right-Hand Calendar Pages when the Moon rides high or runs low.

The date of the high begins the most likely 5-day period of earthquakes in the Northern Hemisphere; the date of the low indicates a similar 5-day period in the Southern Hemi-

sphere. Also noted are the 2 days each month when the Moon is on the celestial equator, 140

Kro —Bet

indicating the most likely time for earthquakes in either hemisphere.

Find more heavenly details at Almanac.com.

2017

HOW

EXAMPLE:

|@ Throughout the Right-Hand Calendar Pages

are groups of symbols that represent notable celestial events. The symbols and names of the y eee

_ principal planets and aspects are:

©

Sun

TO USE

C A L E N D A R

dSC on the Ist day of the month (see opposite page) means that on that date a conjunction (3) of Mars (c') and the Moon (€) occurs: They are aligned along the same

U Neptune

-O@C Moon

P Pluto

| %

Mercury

4 Conjunction (on the

|

9 ®

Venus Earth

CO

Mars

88 Ascending node

2 Rh

Jupiter Saturn

& Descending node S§ Opposition (180

6

Uranus

same celestial longitude)

celestial longitude and appear to be closest together in the sky. EARTH AT PERIHELION AND APHELION @ Perihelion: January 4, 2017. Earth

will be 91,404,401 miles from the Sun. Aphelion: July 3, 2017. Earth will be 94,505,982 miles from the Sun.

degrees from Sun) ‘

2017 Calendar Highlights

MOVABLE RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

Septuagesima Sunday............ Feb. 12 reve TWesday ae... oS2. ae ee Feb. 28 ASI WeGnesdayar cer... tars «be March 1

PAalnngS Unda yn ec.

keel ataevelel: April 9

Passover begins at sundown....... April 10

GOodInTICAyBrcacceten ves here ts April 14 VAS (Cine este eet stoacks eeevarasaeveve obs « April 16 OpthodoxeBasteGaeare ci. rae an. April 16

Rogation Sunday .....9....0....

May 21

INSCENSIONMDAY arise ae. wakes hes May 25 Ramadan begins at sundown ...... May 26

Whitsunday—Pentecost............ June 4 DTIITY SUGaY eeclpie... ete c-cloeais June 11 SOU PUSSCIASEL raat. «os dvtu oe ots June 18 Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown . . . Sept. 20 Yom Kippur begins at sundown... . Sept. 29 BirstisundayaOmNdvent.s ..).03.4 Dec. 3 Chanukah begins at sundown...... Dec. 12 CHRONOLOGICAL CYCLES

Bomincalvetters een. ccire cee em A BRAC i ctrtee tees «ls Nisin wakes 2 Golden Number (Lunar Cycle) .......... 4 RLOMATIIGIC HONS seer eehs oho. wise omens « oasd 10 Solam@y clematis ols ccna ntl 10 Vearonuulanbernodmesrr verse aennmens 6730

2017

Krommes ~Beth

ERAS

Era

Year

Byzantine

7526

September 14

Begins

Jewish (A.M.)*

5778

September 20

Chinese (Lunar)

4715

January 28

Roman (A.U.C.)

2770

January 14

[Year of the Rooster] Nabonassar

2766

April 19

Japanese

2677

January 1

Grecian (Seleucidae)

2329

September 14 (or October 14)

Indian (Saka)

1939

March 22

Diocletian

1734

September 11

Islamic (Hegira)*

1439

September 20

*Year begins at sundown.

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

141

NOVEMBER

Tue

ELEVENTH

MONTH

- 2016

SKY WATCH >< The Moon floats above Saturn and Venus on the 2nd, 45 minutes after sunset. Returning Venus moves higher this month and will be widely noticed; it is no longer a challenge. The Moon stands high above Mars on the 6th, due south at nightfall. An extraordinary “Supermoon” occurs on the 14th as the Moon comes its nearest to Earth since January 26,

1948. For most people, this is the largest and brightest full Moon of their lives. The effect on the tides, especially on the 15th, will be dramatic. A bright waning gibbous Moon will spoil the medium-strength Leonid meteor shower on the 18th. On the 25th, the Moon dangles below returning Jupiter in its new home of Virgo. Jupiter rises at around 4:00 A.M. © First Quarter HroZzmrra © Full Moon

® @

Last Quarter New Moon

7th day

14th hour

51st minute

14th day 21st day 29th day

8th hour 3rd hour 7th hour

52nd minute 34th minute 19th minute

After 2:00 a.m. on November 6, Eastern Standard Time is given. Get these = with times set to your zip code at cern eo 8

=

> x 4

Boston

&

7) naa Age B Place

4a43 |123

u.

W Th Fr Sa B M. Tu. W Th Fr Sa B M

fs

High Tide Times

i

NIK SIP

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}Ree) By Sl 9 49 9 46 9 44 9 42 9 40 959 9 36 9 34

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21s.46

}114

To use this page, see p. 138; for Key Letters, see p. 252.

ey]

@ Bold=p.m.

eS fe me oe m8 Cr ee Oe mo OO w0 mn Oe

© Light=am.

2017

OVEMBER

|

The soft November days are here, The afermnath of blossom’s year. -Sara Louisa (Vickers) Oberholtzer S

$

ges 3

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

| Weather|

1 [Tu] attains Rooters comeNena, Fields

Farmer’s Calendar @ The town moderator is responsible for running the elec-

6 |B |25th. af. .+ timesnas, 2:000.2 SSCe {54 is 7 |M.| Most'Vatuable Playeraward, 1963 * {94 frightening!

tions. It’s not a big chore. The town clerk, the supervisors of the checklist, and the ballot clerks do all the work; the moderator is a figurehead. In this town, I’ve been the figurehead for 12 years. The moderator opens the polls at 8:00 a.m., stands at the checkout table, takes every-

8

Tu. | Election Day e ee

one’s ballots from their hands

9)

W.

¢ pe Oe SUCe

10

Th.

The aurora, when very bright, indicates approaching storm.

2 |W. |All Souls’ e SRC « Cen

te coyear) whitening,

3

|Th. SOG e 96°F, Los Angeles, Calif., 1890 e 1

cold

5

Sa. a

This

4 |Fr.|Grosion « SEMEN, otis 29 tightening: Hawkins 5 SPGe Pane MacMurray e{ a

ne 10, Tides {e2

eee

Lawns

wach 604,1961

are

12|sa |i, «coGo Rena aeRE 13] B |26th. at. B.° ctisnorewaesnov.? {irr 1 Gare

St. Martin of Tours ®pphate e

14] M. | Full Beaver (_)eo (Car eric. @ Tides {ie,

lake se

win

aa e Tides {on

floured

flakes. Miserable?

15] Tu] Bvetasersetmons tomers (138

Worsel

16 |W. |Poet Louis-Honoré Fréchette born, 1839 e Tides {iss

It’s

17|Th.| St. Hugh of Lincoln « @ rwesuicne {159 — blizzard-able! 18 |Fr. |St Hilda ofWhitby 0 CraPaprics tides {115

Everything

19 | Sa. |U.S. president James Garfield born, 1831 @ {re

squishes—

20| B |271hS.ab P. « W sear. os ihitisig goo.1860

even

211M.

your

(| AT 9)e Snowflakes fell in central Fla., 2006 e {ae

22. |Tu.| Entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash died, 2001 e Tides a

23 |W. |St. Clement « SOI Afar ine, 24|Th.| Thanksgiving Day e (2,0 SQBe UC

favorite

Thanksgiving hes> dishes!

(as state law requires), and puts them in the box. The ballots are made of paper, and it’s a wooden box, made in 1883, the same year that our Victorian town hall was built. The voters mark their ballots with pencils in little

booths with red-white-and-blue curtains. The polls close at 7:00 p.m. and we start counting the votes by hand. The only sounds are the shuffle of the ballots, the scratching of pencils, and the murmur of the clerks. We’re

usually finished by 10:00, although in a presidential election, we’ve stayed as late as 1:00 in the morning. After announcing the results,

AS

I thank the workers for participating in this civic sacrament.

2.6 |Sa. | First lion exhibited in U.S., Boston, Mass., 1716 {a

the

That’s when I get choked up;

*

inches

the weight of what we’ve been

accumulate,

doing hits me hard. This is de-

25 | Fr. |First YMCA in North America opened, Montreal, Que., 1851

27|

FR

B |1stS. of Advent + Ciro. ¢ eo

ete teen rendes eiifealtto wnt

29 |Tu.| New &

30] W.| St. Andrew e SoCo ShC eTides ae souls

2017

spirits

Better do it than wish it done. @ {se

agloomulate.

Sweet words butter no parsnips. -English proverb

mocracy—marking

pieces

of

paper, putting them in a wood-

en box, and then counting them one by one.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

143

AP

rena >

Tuk

DECEMBER Twevurtu Monty < 2016_

SKY WATCH >< Venus finally makes its run to prominence, getting even higher and brighter as it meets the Moon on the 2nd and 3rd. Mercury lurks far lower as it starts a mediocre . 3-week evening star apparition. Mars, just one-tenth as bright as it was in June, moves L through Capricornus and into Aquarius, steadily sinking toward Venus. The solstice falls on the 21st at 5:44 A.m., inaugurating winter. On the predawn stage, the Moon floats above OE brilliant Jupiter early on the 22nd, with Virgo’s famous blue star Spica just beneath them NE

both after 3:00 a.m. Much more challenging is dim returning Saturn meeting a hair-thin

1 A

Moon very low in morning twilight on the 27th. © First Quarter 7th day

R

© Full Moon

13th day

19th hour

4th hour

3rd minute

® @

20th day 29th day

20th hour Ist hour

56th minute 54th minute

Last Quarter New Moon

6th minute

All times are given in Eastern Standard Time. Get these pages with times set to your zip code at Almanac.com/Access. High Tide Times Boston

¢ ¢ Astron.| Age Place

SAG

SAG SAG CAP AQU AQU AQU

« nnn

SeHam ism ee Me le Miles (se

he MMesiecna@ jus es] eotaestMcc—M sli ecleie ney @eler mL aa) saw s< An eventful celestial year begins splendidly, with dazzling Venus in Aquarius, high in the west at nightfall. The crescent Moon dangles below it on the Ist. On the 2nd, the Moon hovers between Venus and much less brilliant, first-magnitude Mars. Earth reaches its annual closest approach to the Sun on the 4th. Mercury begins a medi-

ocre morning star apparition on the 6th; it’s best viewed in midmonth. Jupiter, in Virgo, rises at around midnight and is highest before dawn. Saturn, in Ophiuchus, starts 2017 in the low predawn east. It hangs below the crescent Moon on the 24th. The Moon stands below Venus on the 30th and forms a lovely triangle with Venus and Mars on the 31st.

First Quarter AruZ4Zzmrra Full Moon

Last Quarter New Moon @e0®

Sth day 12th day

14th hour 6th hour

47th minute 34th minute

19th day 27th day

17th hour 19th hour

13th minute 7th minute

All times are given in Eastern Standard Time. Get these . with times set to your zip code at Almanac.Soe si_lsslsx

SiS bos & line &~|s2\s=

=

Be

Length

Declination}

High Tide

of Day

of Sun

Times Boston

h. m.

1 1 3

ee RS mere HD WH DW WD DD WW WWW i)nN

Se Se SS US

38

© We OD NC OH GO OOO © OO O HL HHP HP MAmnAb Nn

‘oO nan \© on

The fresh New Year, the bright New Year That telleth of hope and joy, my dear! -Bryan Waller Procter of DayMonth

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

Farmer’s Calendar Weather|

1] A [Ber Yo"HoyNane 6So We Qneminf atin, Ay New Year’s

AAW

Ee Cares ° AG

e SUC

o Tides {.5°3

inkling

3 |Tu.] SSC © pom1390 se Tides {97

of

5 |Th.|Ras SoCo EatamtSe warmer 4

. |St. Elizabeth Ann Seton ¢ ( 23, ¢ B Peenevi0n

sprinkling;

6 | Fr.| Epiphany « G'sGeciogicl Suey.bom,1812° {'95 than 7

8

|Sa.| Day * DEO¢pawhail ar sthere, 19028

a S. af. Ep.e D star. « Asgonesy Galileo

{los you'd

guess.

9 |M,|ieee,» ireamtmalesnst, wri (10 Flurrier— 10

PERIG. © covacio

Bill § Tides {es

visit a

11] W.| t= BS cane (12

12]

16

frre

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|e. Peres ngeentiandviy (UE

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SG

{gg turning

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ae

22} A [3m Sat. €p.e aioeSenne, 2B)

WM) saoeekeciod asUSconce 1907

wilder,

«| Sayith

hours

182

SOC Tides {37

26 |Th.| Sts. Timothy & Titus e SBC oTides {19 Dil

snow showers.

Tapering

New 2 e Writer Lewis Carroll born, 1832 @ {ae

off

28 | Sa. |St. Thomas Aquinas e Chinese New Year (Rooster) e {1}. while

29 30 31

4th D. af. Ep.e Care SYP erices {'°’ 3 dSUC Thule SOQ

e No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place. @ {‘oe dd

e Raccoons mate now. @ oy

could help look for her. My wife, May, got to her elementary school and told her students that Echo was missing. They A friend of ours was on the state highway about 5 miles from our house that morning.

He was on his way to pick up a friend when he saw a black

dog running back and forth across the road, dodging cars and trucks. He didn’t know it was our dog; he just knew

that the dog was in trouble. He stopped to try to pick her up, but she wouldn’t come close.

He called his friend to say he’d be late. As Echo headed west, toward the center of town, our

of friend followed, creeping in the

24] Tu.|STC» marta taltonly gigs{34 25 |W. | Conversion of Paulo C fon°°

and shouting her name. The next morning, friends and neighbors, even some we barely knew, called to find out if she’d come home or if they

offered to buy her a new dog.

Sunny

14 |Sa. | Astronomer Edmond Halley died, 1742 « {{¢

@ Winter often brings out the best in small towns. Our dog Echo disappeared in the last big snowstorm. We checked with the neighbors, called the police, and walked up and down the road rattling her food dish

kids are

capering.

breakdown lane. Several more

cars fell in behind them. At the Town Hall, Echo stopped and the escorts halted. Our friend, helped by people from the other cars, managed to herd her

to the police station just across the street. May got the news when the chief called to say, “I think I’ve got your dog.”

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

147

Ar

Picasa

SKY WATCH

Aeood

>< On the Ist, at nightfall, Venus, Mars, and the crescent Moon stand in

a straight line in Pisces. Venus retains its shadow-casting, magnitude —4.8 brilliance and 30 degree elevation throughout this month, with dimmer Mars staying to its upper

left. The Moon returns to form a triangle with them on the 28th. Jupiter, now rising by 10:30 p.m., hovers above Virgo’s blue star, Spica; the Moon stands above the pair on the 14th and to their left the next night. In the predawn southeastern sky, the Moon sits above Saturn on the morning of the 20th and to its left on the 21st; by month’s end, the Ringed World rises almost 4 hours ahead of the Sun.

©

First Quarter

APro[Zmrea © Full Moon

3rd day 10th day

23rd hour 19th hour

19th minute 33rd minute

QO

Last Quarter

18th day

14th hour

33rd minute

@

New Moon

26th day

9th hour

58th minute

All times are given in Eastern Standard Time. =these = with times set to your zip code at Almanac.a Length of Day ce

Declination| of Sun

Ba h. m.

High Tide Times Boston

om

ae

a Place

Age

Paes m

Bie ol SP SIP

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148

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Ww

To use this page, see p. 138; for Key Letters, see p. 252.

o

© Bold=p.m.

wei we eh Bee Ut 8 agawu Oa Ou

@ Light=a.m.

2017

The true redde letter day [Feb. 14] returns, When summer time in winter burns. —tames Henry Leigh Hunt ‘S s =5 aS as

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

St. Brigid Pa

CGN “Battle Hymn of the EQ. ® Republic” published, 1862

Candlemas e

Farmer’s Calendar | Weather|

Groundhogs

Grommet 5 SB Coes (02

stock

105°F, Montezuma, Ariz., 1963 @ Tides {10.3 +|

up on

Dennis Conner and crew of Stars & Stripes . {10.3 recaptured America’s Cup, 1987 © { 9.4 sunblock. HESS] launched to : r Sth S. af. Ep. ® study solar flares, 2002 Melting: AT Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor ¢ PERIG. ® Y STAT e proclaimed Queen of Canada, 1952 Get RIDES . He who knows his heart, . 10.7

HIGH ® mistrusts his eyes.

e Tides { 9.4

r eady

Debi Thomas won Women’s Singles, U.S. {10.9 National Figure Skating Championship, 1986 © ho

Pathologist Howard Taylor .—52°F,

for

ie

a

Full : “Chattanooga Choo Choo” Snow O # Belipse C ® first to earn gold record, 1942 : Inventor Thomas Alva . Writer Sidney

ef) belting! D

-| Ricketts born, 1871

* Butte, Mont., 1933 ® 110.0

OOoOANNMN Ke PWN

.| Car 83 © Buison bom, 1847, ‘

© Sheldon bora, 1917 Blizzards

U.S. president Abraham

confound

Deptuagestma ¢ cincoin born, 1809

Novocain (procaine) ,-72°F, Shepherd Bay, 10.3 patented, 1906 ® Nunavut, 1973 : {i038 Sts. Cyril Valentine’s ON ; 10.2

.| & Methodius © Day

SheTides {94

weather 5 wizards.

Susan B. Anthony ,Ocean Ranger drilling rig

| SUC ©bom 1830

.

© sank in storm offNfld,1982 Bright

Winter’s Future Canadian prime minister (Sir) John A. back breaks. ® Macdonald married Susan A. Bernard, 1867 National Congress of Mothers, ; 9.4 later known as PTA, founded, 1897 ® pies {8.8 Pluto discovered by astronomer | -,. 9.1

but f bitter

(ar aro. © Civde W. Tombaugh, 1930 ° Tides {33 A Prizes first added to boxes 8.9 Dexagesima © of cracker Jack, 1912 ° {go Presidents’ Actor Dick York . 8.8 Day © ShCe gied 1992 # Tides {50 21-23: Destructive

‘

as flakes # flitter.

8.9

é (| RUNS LOW © in¢ storm, Wis., 1922 ® Tides ee SPCe

Better,

US. president George . Poet Edna St. Vincent Waskington born, 1732 ® Millay born, 1892

then

wetter.

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The stars are the jewels of the night, and perchance surpass anything which day has to show. —Henry David Thoreau

2017

M@ The coldest day in the recorded history of North America (outside of Greenland) was

70 years ago this month, when a Canadian weather station at Snag, Yukon Territory, hit —81.4°F. How cold is that? So cold that your spit freezes be-

fore it hits the ground. So cold that your nostrils ice up. So cold

that you can hear your breath freeze—“a tinkling sound,” according to witnesses. So cold that the four weather observers present could hear laughter and conversations in an aboriginal

village 3 miles away. “A spoken word remained in the air as a tiny, motionless mist for 3 to 4 minutes,” one reported. The Greek philosopher An-

tisthenes spoke of a faraway land where words froze as they were spoken and could not be heard until summer, when they thawed. The deepest cold I’ve ever experienced was on a winter camp-

ing trip in the White Mountains. It was 30° below zero. The water

in our canteens froze solid, as did a jar of chunky peanut butter. Hiking out, we began showing symptoms of hypothermia— slurred speech, difficulty walking, an almost drunken hilarity.

We laughed all the way back to our cars, trailing little clouds behind us. If Antisthenes was right, some June hikers must have been startled when they passed by.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

149

DA

The THIRD Montu

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SKY WATCH »% The year’s highest and most dramatic Moon for small hil tecan be seen at nightfall during the first-quarter period of the 4th through 6th. It nearly touches the orange star Aldebaran on the 4th. Venus starts the month still brilliant and moder-

ately high but appears much lower each evening and reaches conjunction with the Sun on the 25th, ending its apparition as an evening star. Jupiter now rises before 9:00 P.M.; the planet forms a lovely triangle with the Moon and the star Spica on the 14th. Spring begins with the equinox on the 20th at 6:29 a.m. Mercury appears low in evening twilight

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Shout and sing for the Spring is here! Laugh

Farmer’s Calendar

and dance for Winter’s away! —Agnes Mary Frances Robinson

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

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dusk in scrubby open meadows and announce their presence with a loud, buzzing peent. After four or five such calls, the male launches himself ver-

tically into the sky, climbing as high as 100 yards before spiraling back down to the ground, singing a liquid trill while the wind in its stubby wings twitters eerily. If this display attracts a female, the male dances for her, hopping and bowing and peenting lustily. It’s a comical

sight, which may have inspired one of the bird’s nicknames—

the timberdoodle.

If nature

takes its course, the female will nest on the ground and raise four chicks. This is usually an unfailing harbinger of spring. But we’ve had a brutal winter, with record cold and late

snowfall. The woodcocks can’t

Note

dig earthworms and insects out of the frozen ground with their

to

tubelike bills. They are walk-

self:

ing because they’re starving.

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It’s not exactly a silent spring: I heard the conk-la-ree

storm

of red-winged blackbirds this

drain!

week—but no peenting.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

151

Ar

APRIL Tue

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SKY WATCH ¥* Mercury is low in the western sky from the Ist to the 6th, in Aries. Mars, above it, moves into Taurus and drops lower at nightfall; at only magnitude 1.5, the Red Planet does not command attention. Brilliant Jupiter comes closest to Earth on the 7th, still floating above the blue star Spica. The planet rises at sunset and is out all night. This most distant opposition of its 12-year orbit lets it shine at magnitude —2.3. Jupiter stands strikingly close to the full Moon on the 10th. Saturn rises at midnight in midmonth and dangles

below the Moon on the 16th. Venus begins its morning star apparition and sits to the left of the Moon on the 23rd, before becoming its brightest on the 30th.

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2017

| Light comes upon the earth in radiant showers,

Farmer’s Calendar @ Go out around midnight on a clear New Moon night and look straight up. See that faint oval-shape smudge of light?

rhe sae rainbows play among the flowers. -Ludwig Tieck Mo [Pay o

© 15 1 | Sa.| peg ¢ OiseEats © 27°F, Atlanta, Ga., 1987 {103 Foolish 2 5th S. in Lent © US. Mint established, 1792 {155 and

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2017

looked for.” He called them “nebulae,” the Greek word for clouds.

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what they were, but they were not comets and thus “not to be

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career—he lived to be 86—he discovered 13 comets. King Louis XV nicknamed him “the ferret of comets.” Ironically, Messier is best known for his eponymous Catalog, a list of 110 objects in deep space—some that he dis-

Snow’s

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That’s the Andromeda Galaxy,

which may contain a trillion stars. It’s the most distant object visible to the naked eye— more than two million lightyears away. Astronomers know it as M31. The M is for Charles Messier, a French astronomer who died 200 years ago this

. . RIDES . Singer Wayne 5 St. Richard of Chichester « ( fuici' ® Neston bon. 1942 Coolish.

3

Indeed, many of them are clouds of gases, some the remnants of supernovae, the colos-

sal explosions of dying stars. M1, the first on the list, is just that—the debris of a supernova that appeared in 1054. The Messier Catalog is a curiosity now, but it raises an interesting question: How many other marvels, then and now, are dismissed as “not to

be looked for’’?

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

153

DH

THe

Firth

Monta

= 2017

SKY WATCH >< Mars, just to the right of Aldebaran in Taurus from the Ist to the 4th, sinks lower and is hard to see by month’s end. Jupiter is brilliant and hovers dramatically close to the Moon on the 7th. Saturn, now rising before midnight, stands to the right of the Moon on the 13th. On the 18th, Mercury begins a rather poor morning star apparition that lasts the rest of the month. Also in the predawn eastern sky, Venus rises by 3:30 and shines brilliantly, standing strikingly to the left of the crescent Moon on the 22nd. Three days later, while new, the Moon reaches its closest approach to Earth of the entire year. Expect strong tides from

the 25th to the 27th. First Quarter DAroZzmrra Full Moon Last Quarter New Moon @e0e

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© Bold=p.m.

© Light=a.m.

2017

Sing me a song ofidle days, When Spring is queen over woods and ways! Francis W. Bourdillon

Farmer’s Calendar

™@ The black flies showed up Ssslsx Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights | Weather| right on schedule this year— the first week of May. Melt. Elvis Presley married Sts. Philip &James e May Drizzling ing snows provide just the kind Day ® Priscilla Beaulieu, 19 67 caused deadly Suns: hine of rushing streams they prefer _| St. Athanasius ¢ © star. « Fire and Mine disaster, Kellogg, Idaho, 1972 , |Red River flood crested, Winnipeg, Man., 1997 @ Tides {a y (| AT 9 e 12" snow near Keene, N.H., 1812 e fee

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2017

Listen to the

sign is the outlandish way in which people dress to go out to work in their gardens or around the house. Long sleeves and ankle-length pants are a must, and mosquito nets adorn every head. The town looks like it has

been invaded by aliens.

citified to complain. What’s

short and

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weeks here. The most obvious

dapple

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samples, they found thousands of black fly larvae wriggling in their microscopes. Black fly season lasts about 3

blossoms

wear sleeves,

Charles Lindbergh began first nonstop

fourth- and fifth-grade classes had visited the stream nearest our house and collected water

Tough guys (and girls) rely instead on a variety of noisome unguents and goos rubbed into the skin. They look better but smell worse. We try not to talk about this annual plague. It’s considered

OF _| Neuroscientist Theodore‘Holmes Bullock born, 1915 @ {8.8 New York Stock Exchange, 7; gag ie5 GR. ELONG. 8. 8 (26° WEST) ® established, 1792

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for breeding; in April, after the

a hero’s grave.

more,

we’ve

just

finished

whining about the cold and the snow that lingers in the shade.

When we first moved to the country from the city, we tolerated the cold by anticipating the pleasures of a rural spring and summer. After a fortnight of the flies, I asked a neigh-

bor how people who’ve always lived here stand it. “Tt makes us look forward to winter,” he explained.

Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

155

DH

JUNE - ‘Tue Sixtu MontH

| = + 2017

SKY WATCH > Brilliant Jupiter iis dramatically close to the Moon on the 3rd. Having retrograded into western Virgo, it is no longer above blue Spica. The Moon stands to the left of

Saturn on the 9th. The planet, its rings maximally wide open,.comes its closest to Earth and makes its largest and brightest appearance of the year on the 15th. It has retrograded back into Ophiuchus, where it will remain until it vanishes in late autumn. Summer begins with the solstice on the 21st at 12:24 a.m. in the predawn sky, the Moon is to the right of Venus on the 20th and below the planet on the 21st. The Moon then again meets Jupiter on the 30th.

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| O fields in June’s fair verdure drest, And vocal now

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Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. Jonathan Swift

2017

In colonial times, bobcats

were common here, but their numbers diminished to the

amaze us.

Thurgood Marshall nominated .Miranda rights established

.

Farmer’s Calendar @ The animal flashed across the road so suddenly that I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting it. In that frozen instant, I identified it as a bobcat with a rabbit hanging from its jaws. It was only the third bobcat I’d seen in 40 years of living in southwestern New Hampshire. It was the first to bolt out of the woods at midday at a busy small town intersection between a Mexican restaurant and a shopping center.

Listen to the

Hampshire

ended

the legal

times as many. The state de-

cided to consider permitting hunting and trapping again. While hunters applauded, environmentalists and some

wildlife scientists howled. It was far too early, they said, to revive the hunt. The debate was overfamiliar. But the sight of that magnificent predator was not. It was an eruption of pure wildness in the most ordinary of settings, as weird and exhilarating as a band of Cheyenne warriors pursuing a buffalo down Main Street.

Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

157

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JULY

We

SEV enT H Mo NT a

SKY WATCH ¥* Mercury may be glimpsed as an evening star all month, but it’s very low. Saturn, its outermost ring telescopically seen completely around the planet, is below the Moon on the 6th, superbly placed for viewing. The dwarf planet Pluto is at opposition on the 10th. At magnitude 14.2, it’s over a thousand times fainter than the dimmest naked-eye stars. From the 9th to the 13th, Venus hovers above orange Aldebaran in Taurus. The Moon forms a striking triangle with Venus and Aldebaran on the morning of the 20th and then stands closely above Jupiter on the 28th, a dramatic sight. Jupiter is now getting lower at nightfall, as it moves eastward in Virgo back toward Spica.

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New Moon First Quarter

9th day

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7th minute

16th day

15th hour

26th minute

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All times are given in Eastern Daylight Time. Get these pages with times set to your zip code at Almanac.com/Access. Length

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Times Boston

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15 14 12 13.113 Loy 15 1 15 10 15 10 15 08 15 07 15 06 15 05 15 03 i303 15 01 15 00 14 58 14 56 14 55 14 54 14 52 14 50 14 49 14 47 14 45 14 43 14 41 14 39 14 37 14 35 14 33 BDwWowanwer Seer Se rere Serre rer er rrr SS 14 31 WO Oo HO WO © OO O eo] B} 14 29 \o 158

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“Come up! come up! for the world is fair |Where the merry leaves dance in the summer air.” -Mary Howitt S = sos | s s ss

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

Sa. Canada Daye

of Canada. {9.6 S2(Ce Dominion Gteated, 1867 e tee

Breezes

Steve Fossett first to circumnavigate A

4thcE). af. Q. ® world solo in balloon, 2002 Dog days AT As dog days commence,

are 8.9

begin. ° €D patton ® so they end. : {37 cool, Independence | Construction of Erie , 103°F, Portland, z Day ® Canal began, 1817 ® Maine, 1911 barbecue’s Physicist Isaac Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis

{8.7

hot!

«| (ar aro. e She e Armadillos mate now. e {mes

Beaches

Principia Mathematica published, 1687

SAO

8

Cornerstone laid for first Catholic cathedral in

:

{ 8.9

U.S. (Baltimore Basilica), Baltimore, Md., 1806 ®

are

110.1 RUNS . Group of Seven artist Tom Thomson last seen 5 LOW ® alive, Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, Ont., 1917 peaches: Full

Journalist Eric

5th. al. P. © Rot,

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HIGH ® ¢ PERIG.® inbloomnow. ° {11.8 F Frank Zybach’s “self-propelled sprinkling .| St MaryMagdalene ® irrigating apparatus” patented, 1952

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dry gpd

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s 1922 Robardborn,

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ON Step after step, i 10.6 EQ. ® dbUC ® the ladder is ascended. ® Tides {10.2 First “Chicken Wing Day,”, Tides {10.0

GR. ELONG. Governor Arnold Sth’. af. P. « 9 (27° EAST) ® Schwarzenegger born, 1947 5-lb. 3-0z. white crappie caught,

ered in New York State in 2006. Bats were dying by the millions in the caves where diseased bats had a white fun-

pain

10.0

Former U.S. First Lady Mary

The Little Browns have had a tough time recently, due to a fungal disease called whitenose syndrome, first discov-

they hibernate over winter. The

yy

0 St.Swithin © ¢ ON EQ: @ never out of season. © { 9.9

same period.

spot!

10.2

LLG ree reg ors meTides {79 5 Bastille _Gold discovered, Last Chance. -. 10.1 Day ® Gulch (Helena), Mont., 1864 ° Tides {'97

eating eight large pizzas in the

A Feeling

.| U.S. president John Quincy Adams born, 1767 e {ae Writer Henry David. ee ie f Cr Sate

Farmer’s Calendar Min the July twilight, bats flicker between trees, zigging and zagging in a relentless pursuit of mosquitoes. A single Little Brown Bat can eat 1,000 mosquitoes per hour—the equivalent of an average man

not

gus on their noses.

Scientists

identified

pens to be found on bananas. Fruit growers had learned that it could be controlled with a common bacterium called Rho-

dococcus rhodochrous. A grad student studying white-nose syndrome at Georgia State University wondered if R. rhodochrous might work on bats as well as bananas. The test results are promising, and in May 2015, 75

previously infected bats were released in the Mark Twain Cave Complex in Hannibal,

Missouri. With luck—and a little help from bananas—we

iy eae} Normy.

the

fungus as Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which also hap-

may enjoy

many more violet twilights watching bats skitter across the sky.

St. Ignatius of Loyola ® Enid Dam, Miss., 1957

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

159

Ar

SKY WATCH ¥< On the 2nd, the Moon hovers above Saturn. The Perseid meteors arrive on the

12th, but a bright Moon will interfere with good viewing. On the 19th, the Moon is just below Venus, which adequately maintains its elevation in the morning sky, in Gemini. The first total solar eclipse in the United States in 38 years unfolds on the 21st. (See page 130.) Hopefully, many will travel to be within the narrow ribbon of totality, rather than view the mere partial eclipse seen throughout the continent. (Warning: Eye protection required, such as welder’s goggles with shade number 12 or 14.) The Moon is to the right of ever-lower Jupiter on the

24th, above Jupiter on the 25th, and to the upper left of Saturn on the 30th. Full Moon 7th day 14th hour 11th minute DruoZmzmrrna Last Quarter 14th day 21st hour 1Sth minute New Moon 21st day 14th hour 30th minute First Quarter 29th day 4th hour 13th minute S@oe0O All times are given in Eastern Daylight Time. Get these a with times set to your zip code at Almanac.ara High Tide

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2017

|

! 1

1

4 cloud lay cradled near the setting Sun;

Farmer’s Calendar @ The pastor of our little church | Weather| takes the month of August off. So does much of his congregation. It’s not a big group to begin It’s

4 pews of crimson tinged its braided snow. -tobn Wilson AD

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights Lammas . Diamonds found near

u.

Day

, |

° Murfreesboro, Ark., 1906 ES

6 54

hard

with; on an ordinary Sunday in

to y udg g

October or May, we’ll have 50 or so present. In mid-August, we seldom see more than 25.

the

So, rather than pay some retired

AT Offshore hurricane battered fishing fleet {8.4 Apo. ™ and lightship near Nantucket, Mass., 1867 * 194 Football player 8.4

. ShC

$ star.° Tom Brady born, 1977 ° 19.6 Phoenix Mars Lander launched,

¢ RUNS LOWS Cape Canaveral, Fla., 2007 :

8.6

9

::(3. 8 8. 0.

osPE e Gray squirrels have second litters now. @ {1 é

9.0 . ‘ Boy” A-bomb released over Transfiguration ©“Little yitoshimea, Japan WWI 1945, ®102 10.2 sweeter -

Civic Holiday | Full

sight:

—® Sturgeon O e Eclipse ( « ie

(Canada)

minister to “supply the pulpit,” ;

ras U.S. president Richard Nixon 10.4 a St. Dominic « Car ® announced resignation, 1974 ®e{ 9.5 Webster-Ashburton Treaty signed, concerning ]7 . SUC ® British N.A. colonies/U.S. borders, 1842 lightning ap ,Happy are thefields 10.5 2 St. Lawrence that receive summer rain. { 9.9 bolt

ble verses and say a few words in lieu of a sermon. It’s part Chautauqua and part

_ |St. Glare e Dog Days end. e (| oe e Tides {10.

ie ee Taga Ties (03 Perseidsa

one of the deacons talked about

eyalayer MakeComrie, 2010 ® Ties {10.5 meteorite! ee

up and took control of the ship.

. 9 10

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or

ered1942 10th S. af. P.* SOC» premiNV-C.

Come

Thomas Edison suggested using “Hello”

‘ Assumption when answering phones, 1877 5-Ib. 15-oz. Arctic grayling caught,

toh

)

in

Tides {197

+ |Katseyedie River, N.W.T., Cat Nights @ In the eyes of the mouse, the cat is a lion.

19

| commence. Virginia Dare became first child of English RIDES HIGH ® (Es PERIG. ® parents born in Ainerica (Va. colony), 1587 USS Constitution earned nickname “Old

16QG.

20

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from the

iT GIUNHMS Cucrriare, 1812. S2UTWays

lth S. at. 2. e Ragweed in bloom. e Tides {ie :

while

: 10.5 {12 o Tides

Zeus

21

; New @ e Eclipse (*)e Car Qde SSC

22

Theodore Roosevelt first U.S. president , 10.7 {— og SOC ® to take public automobile ride, 1902

and

23

_ |It is not want, but abundance, that makes avarice. @ ae

Thor

oKiile- bork 1065

a ¢ Basketball player Reggie

24 | Th.| St. Bartholomew f

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contest the

airways. A Sin Ine. e@ Hummingbirds migrate south. @ {i54 “Sea Islands Hurricane” hit On; ; Cooling { 12th 2. at.Pp.® near Savannah, Ga., 1893 .

N

*

Sen. Strom Thurmond (S.C.) began

St.Augustine of Hippo © 24-hr., 18-min. filibuster speech, 1957 trend Military Service Act 8.7

St. John the Baptist ¢

became law, Canada, 1917 ® {o3

at

Ellen Arthur, wife of future U.S. ’ «|Cae APO, ® 3 h¢ . president Chester Arthur, born, 1837 summer s 3]

we supply ourselves. Four lay persons, all volunteers, read Bi-

Th.

|

RUNS LOW

Better an egg this year than a chicken next year.

Listen to the

end.

Amateur

Hour.

Last August,

the Amistad case, in which a

group of Africans who had been kidnapped by slavers rose On the second Sunday, a gentle-

man talked about the Baha'i faith, which has a landmark in our town. The next week, a

woman who had lost two siblings in childhood spoke movingly about the best ways to “be there” for people who have suffered such losses. At month’s end, a choir member revealed funny details of rehearsal shenanigans.

Amateur Hour makes us appreciate each other a little more. We share our experiences, our joys and griefs. We discover unexpected depths and eloquence

in our midst. We learn that certain people may be paying close attention to what we say and do—and

maybe even tak-

ing notes.

Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

161

Zm Ar

SEPTEMBER

Tue

NintaH MonrTH* 2017

SKY WATCH ¥* Neptune comes to opposition on the Sth in Aquarius, but a telescope is needed to see its disk and blue color. On the 10th, Mercury at magnitude zero closely meets Leo’s

main star, Regulus, with Venus far above. Also in the predawn sky, Mercury and Mars almost touch on the 16th, but the pair is only 8 degrees high in twilight. The morning of the 18th brings a super lineup some 40 minutes before sunrise, with Mercury lowest; dim, orange Mars to its upper right; the crescent Moon; Regulus; and finally Venus at the highest point of the quintet. The next morning, the Moon is below Mercury. Autumn starts with the equinox on the 22nd at 4:02 p.m.

Full Moon APruo“Zamrra Last Quarter

New Moon First Quarter C@o0O

6th day 13th day 20th day

3rd hour 2nd hour Ist hour

3rd minute 25th minute 30th minute

27th day

22nd hour

54th minute

All times are given in Eastern Daylight Time. Get these pages with times set to your zip code at Almanac.com/Access.

Blo

8:09 8:41 NIP SIP Blo

9:14 9:51 10:32

Rwwneh 11:19

122 (kei DAS 3:22 4:30 = =ON UW OD POW 5:37 Bw IW Biw BIW NIP = Bie NIP

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To use this page, see p. 138; for Key Letters, see p. 252. © Bold=p.m.

© Light=a.m.

2017

And the red leaves by the roadside

Farmer’s Calendar

Fell and floated one by one. -Hattie Tyng Griswold ®® =

M@ The

SSS +SECe faningomnisss ete {33 Pitter: P

it

painter

Ch

:

7

1 Fr < : 8.6 . pattering, 2 Sa. Writer Cleveland Amory born, 1917 e Tides tee “Father of Oregon,” John 8.9 3 A 13th B. af. $B.° vicroughiin, died, 1857 ° {50 of showers 4 M |M. Labor Day ne] AT 25 e fo)STAT. @ Tides {ie D.) Lu War a e 112°F, Centreville, Ala., 1925 e {ae a-scattering. Full When the Moon’s in thefull, 10.0 . 6 |W. Corn ees)v SUG then wit’s in the wane. ® ae Brief Financier J. P. Morgan Jr. . 7. 10.7 7 |\Th. Cone. @ ion, 1867 e Tides {19 repeat Francis Bellamy’s Pledge of Allegiance first . 7. 10.8 8 | Fr. published, in The Youth’s Companion, 1892 ines {10.6 of Cranberry bog harvest begins, ye aL Oh 9 |Sa. 35C ® Cape Cod, Mass. oes {10.8 the Faneuil Hall given to town 10.6 A 14th S. af.Pp.® of Boston, Mass., 1742 © {10.9 Summer M.

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begins at sundown ® begins at sundown eoNew @o Cr, New York Sun’s Francis Church replied, sloshes, St. Matthew “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” 1897 Harvest .Autumnal 10.7 . wearing e SUC ° ee Ember Day e Home ® Equinox

Ember,astronomer Urbain Le Verrier died, 1877

galoshes.

+| Day

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16th S, at. 7p.° Pigeons wash before rain. @ {a

3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred, near Concord, N.H., 2010 ; She

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* spacecraft launched, Fla. 2007 Cn Canca de Paul ¢ © Spo. Dawn St. Vincent

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Alouette

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arborist

came

today,

| Weather|accompanied

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

and .

McIntoshes!

Wonder is the seed of knowledge. -Francis Bacon

by five sturdy young men, an enormous crane, and a chipper. They’ve been charged with taking down four very large trees that were

threatening the house. This threat did not occur overnight, of course. The land under and around the house was cleared almost 40 years ago. At the time, none of these very large trees hung over the roof. It was clearing all the

trees around them that set off a growth spurt. Under a magnifying

glass,

the stump of one of the fallen trees, a 60-foot-tall red oak, re-

vealed some 80 growth rings. The first 40 or so were narrow—Just a millimeter or two in width. Crowded by other trees, it got little sun. But the lens showed that in ensuing years, after space was cleared for the house, the rings expanded rap-

idly. Ring number 41 was half a centimeter, and the outermost ring was almost 4 centimeters

wide. When that tree was no longer competing with others, it grew much faster. That oak’s seedling set its roots soon after the Great Hurricane of 1938 roared up the Connecticut River Valley, scything down millions of

trees. But it left open space for millions more. Now that the big oak is gone, the Milky Way is visible above the house for the first time in decades.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

163

C A L E N D A R

=

OcTOBER

HE

—

TENTH Montu

+ 2017

SKY WATCH 3% From the 4th to the 6th, Venus at magnitude —4 and Mars at 2 are very close together (extremely so on the Sth); point binoculars quite low in the east I hour before sunrise. Venus is 250 times brighter than Mars. Uranus comes to opposition from the 18th to

the 19th; the Green Planet can be glimpsed in binoculars in easternmost Pisces. The Moon will hover just to the left of Mars on the 17th and below Venus on the 18th. Venus is now starting to get low, and its long morning star apparition is winding down. The moderate-

strength Orionid meteor shower from the 21st to the 22nd has no competition, as the Moon is a thin crescent.

Full Moon

5th 12th 19th 27th

DreruoZzmrroa Last Quarter

New Moon First Quarter ®@e0

day day day day

14th 8th 15th 18th

hour hour hour hour

40th 25th 12th 22nd

minute minute minute minute

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To use this page, see p. 138; for Key Letters, see p. 252. © Bold=p.m.

AQU

© Light=a.m.

2017

OcTOBER

HATH 31.»

nd night with her dusky pinions wept down in stormy glee. -Nathan Haskell Dole sz =

‘Sx xs

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights Maria Mitchell discovered

l

17th D. af. YP. « Car B © comet Mitchell 1847V1, 1847 Leaf-

)

_ |Watch for banded woolly bear caterpillars now. @ {oe

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|SUC « Bartad Cait 1913"

.

767-day dry spell began, . -.

harken

. ++ _Sukkoth begins _U.S.S.R.’s Sputnik J St. Francis of Assisi « at sundown ® launched, 1957

:

y

lovers

9.6

Tides ae

_| Full Harvest (_) e

mal e dQ

e Tides lies

8)

.

]

,| Actress June Allyson born, 1917 @ Tides {He

dbCe

skies

19.26" rain in 24 hours, Gila Ucluelet Brynnor Mines, B.C., 1967 © {== IN

darken. Blue

Gather thistles,

10.9

5

18th S. af. 2p. © ¥ sup. d ® expect prickles.

bee

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Columbus Day, _Thanksgiving Day

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® (Canada)

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over

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where

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_| Columbus first saw New World, 1492 e Tides {Bak

i]

- |House laid, 1792 ® released onto hurricane, 1947 First contingent of Canadian Expeditionary . Car 83 ® Force arrived in England, WWI, 1914

Cornerstone of White. 4

.

skies

_| Actor Christopher Reeve died, 2004 e Tides {ie RIDES . Businessman Henry John. -. HIGH ® Heinz born, 1844 —_

red

Project Cirrus: 80 Ibs. dry ice

:

as

!

{ 95 10.4

d an gold

4

Farmer’s Calendar @ It’s hard to believe how much noise something smaller than a thimble makes when it falls 60 or 70 feet. On warm autumn nights, if the windows are open,

we hear acorns ripping through leaves and thudding onto the

roof of the toolshed. When there was

an aluminum

canoe

out

there, turned upside down, the cascade sounded like a Jamaican steel band. Most of what’s inside an acorn is protein to nourish an infant tree, producing more oaks. But squirrels and other inhabitants of the wood—chipmunks, deer, rodents, even birds—also

eat acorns. In the old days, farmers used to drive their pigs into the woods to fatten on heaps of

umbrellas

fallen acorns. Oaks produce more nuts than all other trees put together. In a good year, an acre of red oaks

handy

can produce 500 pounds of

9|Th.|New@ * SUCe SarPeim,savedfamily.2007 While

acorns. Not all years are good for oaks, though; scientists

5

19th B. af. YP. 6 Veen counuesy 1582. ~~ abound;

6|

When the wind is in the south,

5

10.0

keep

M.| ir blows :the bait in* the fishes’ mouth, ° Ties {io 10.3 =

St. Ignatius of Antioch «SOC e SOC « St. Luke e

8

SOG

a e SOU e St. Luke’s little summer.

John Bardeen first to win second

Nobel Prize in physics, 1972

;

10.3

{10.7

watching the

Tides {ae

Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge born, 1772

!

10.5

vals so that the creatures that

Julian, Meyer, and Krause received 20th Ss. af.Pp. “ patent for cortisone, 1940 ittle b bat :

St. James of Jerusalem « Little brown AT

APO. ® ShCe

glory 9.5

bats Tides {07

unfold

Astronomer William Lassell discovered

Uranus moons Ariel and Umbriel, 1851

ruNS _ Carlsbad Caverns National Monument

all

8.9

)

e{o5 around. .| Crow ® established, N.Mex., 1923 De 8.6 F Pony Express [SBC edSUO ¢ service ended, 1861 © Tides {32 Trick-

i

|

Timber rattlesnakes move to winter dens. e Tides {35 Statue of Liberty dedicated, Fs

8.4 to6

_| Sts. Simon & Jude e N.Y. Harbor, 1886 Deadly tornado struck 21st S. af. P. ° Car e Berryville, Ark., 1942 5

SUG

Night is the mother of thoughts.

@ {te

All Hallows’ , Reformation , Architect Richard Morris Hunt born, 1827 -| Eve Day

think the oaks have abundant acom years at irregular inter-

or-

treaters

need space

heaters!

eat acorns can’t consume the entire crop in one year. There’s a theory that the oaks “choose”

when to produce a supercrop, communicating with each other by emitting chemical signals through their roots. All those thudding, ripping, and clanging sounds that keep us awake are oak trees talking to each other, planning a sophisticated strategy for survival.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

165

Aru

NOVEMBER

Tie BLevinra

Monte

+ 2017

SKY WATCH ¥ No planet remains high or conspicuous this month. Saturn has become low in the southwest at nightfall. In the predawn east, Venus, now near blue Spica, is also getting

very low. From the 12th to the 14th (especially on the 13th), the planet has an extremely close conjunction with Jupiter but will be only a few degrees above the horizon. On the 14th, the Moon forms a straight line with Mars and Spica, then hovers above Venus on the 16th and to the left of Venus on the 17th. On the 20th, the crescent Moon stands to the right of Saturn and

above Mercury. The innermost planet, Mercury, is quite bright but just 8 degrees high at dusk. Full Moon

4th 10th 18th 26th

DAruZmzmrrna Last Quarter

New Moon First Quarter S@e0

day day day day

1st 15th 6th 12th

hour hour hour hour

23rd 36th 42nd 3rd

minute minute minute minute

After 2:00 a.m. on November 5, Eastern Standard Time is given. Get these pages with times set to your zip code at Almanac.com/Access. os =|

> 5

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To use this page, see p. 138; for Key Letters, see p. 252.

© Bold=p.m.

© Light = a.m.

2017

NOVEMBER

The wind one morning sprang up from sleep, aes “Now for a frolic! Now for a leap!” —witiam Howitt

Farmer’s Calendar

Sx

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

of Day Month

Sculptor Antonio

‘

Weather| :

1 |W. |AllSaints’ ¢ Con to. @ Cree bom: 1757 @ Tides {191 Hocus’ Ice in November 10.6 .| All Souls’ « SSC Brings mud in December. ® ae pocus, Canada’s first bank, Bank of 1.2 . Montreal, opened, Que., 1817 ® Tides 10.7 drizzles Sadie Hawkins , Full en Future U.S. president Abraham ill +| Day ® Beaver eons wed Mary Todd, 1842 WIL Daylight Savin 22nd S. at. PQ. © Time ends, 2: aie m.® CePERIG. soak First recorded sightings of 87°F, Charleston, rehae supernova in Cassiopeia, 1572® S.C., 2003 12.0 Us, RIDES . Ch t Marie 10.8

2 3 4 ] 6

nd

Election Day ¢ C hicit ® Curie eae ieee

8

{it9

Black bears head to winter dens now. e Tides {+ 4

10

First issue of Rolling Stone magazine, 1967 e Tides

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SS Edmund Fitzgerald, with 29 aboard,

2

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14

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15

anyone

® Winnipeg, Man., for Thunder Bay, Ont., 1989

had

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A

18

-| of Whitby ® New & ® telephone introduced, Pa., 1963

Warm

10.4 F 19| A |24th S. af. 3. «crab apples areripe: now. © {194 piatus

20

US. suffragette Harriot

9.4

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24

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us?

Food is an important part of a balanced diet. —Fran Lebowitz

2017

@ Wild turkeys are such a familiar sight now that they are as likely to inspire annoyance as awe. When we see two hens bringing a couple dozen poults across a road—one hen on each side of the crossing, herding

the little ones on, gently correcting the slow learners who are bumbling off in the wrong

direction—we may honk the horn to hurry them up. Biologists call such a group a brood flock. A hen lays 10 to 12 eggs, and there’s no evolutionary advantage in an un-

related hen looking after the young. They apparently find some efficiency, or increased

safety, or sheer pleasure in combining forces with another mother. Maybe it’s as simple as having one adult on each side of the roads that must be

crossed. In the brood flock that hangs out in our neighborhood,

the

poults are adult-size now. They likely hatched in June. The two other brood flocks farther up the road have smaller poults,

probably mothered by hens that renested

in late summer

and

brought off a second brood. By winter, the young turkeys will have separated by age and

sex into larger flocks, stalking through the snowy woods,

leaving four-toed tracks like the dinosaurs that were their ancestors. Watching them now,

it seems amazing it took so long to see the resemblance.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

167

Ar

TE

———

=

DECEMBER

SKY WATCH »* A strange configuration rules the sky after Saturn and Mercury vanish on the 7th. Not a single naked-eye planet can be seen virtually all night, from nightfall until Mars and Jupiter finally rise before dawn. But 2017's best meteor shower, the Geminids, delivers a

superb show on the 13th, starting at around 9:00 p.m. A thin crescent Moon will not interfere. Jupiter has a close meeting with the Moon on the 14th. The year’s most distant Moon is the

new Moon on the 18th. Winter arrives with the solstice on the 21st at 11:28 a.m. At month’s end, Jupiter rises about 3 hours before the Sun. Looking ahead: Jupiter, now in Libra, approaches Mars and will very closely meet the Red Planet on January 6 and 7, 2018.

Full Moon SAPruou“Zzmrera Last Quarter

New Moon First Quarter C@C0O

3rd 10th 18th 26th

day day day day

10th 2nd Ist 4th

hour hour hour hour

47th 51st 30th 20th

minute minute minute minute

All times are giveninEastern Standard Time. Get these pages with times set to your zip code at Almanac.com/Access. High Tide Times Boston

iG Rises

h,

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For a welcome guest is expected soon,

Farmer’s Calendar @ Temperatures falling, skies | Weather| threatening, the dogs and I started our afternoon walk a litSo tle before 3:00, heading uphill. Many The plan was to follow the road

And he comes on the crest of the rising Moon. -1.7. Burton Wollaston Sx Bi

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

of DayMonthDayWee!

i

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Winterberry fruit especially showy now. e Tides {eS

must

It climbs sharply at the end, and the prospect is magnificent there. In addition to a broad view of the Wapack Range and a few buildings in Peterborough, there was light glinting off the waters of Thorndike

9

Numismatic Society of Montreal formed, 1862 @ {aa

bea

Pond and steam rising from the

10

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igi

on high!

SUG Worid tel Weston,Conn,iso7

NOt

match factory in Jaffrey. By 4:00, we were in a field just beyond the last two houses on the road—summer

places,

to judge from the absence of cars and the window shades pulled down. Not surprising,

much really; the winter heating bills must be as spectacular as the of view. Generally speaking, in SoCo dP Getices {ia this town the houses with the Advent

5990 ea Gon oad Gans 1965°{'9; Sa. Cee iy Sea,Ind., 1917 ® Tides les

18] M.S

3rd S. of

crowd

best views are unoccupied in

{8} nobody's 20 |W.|tmneow oitaeteson inte plowed «Tides {9, 21|Th.| St. Thomas © Mieke, © SHO

flushed a massive buck that bounded farther up the wooded

19

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2a| a|ath &. of Advent «SUG. Ayrk Me™ asking 25|M.| Christmas eSQhe Asiimimatindcomenence Sanya

26 |Tu.| St Stephen «(mrad *Kwanzaa °Ce0* {91

for

27 |W.|sume SOC tained salem great32a 28 Th, Holy inmoeens « US, vsspenceete emia {3% 20) Fr, |WiliamyeeMAE Ki yp, oT (8S scene 30 |Sa. | Figure skater David Pelletier wed skating partner Jamie Salé, 2005

IN

31| A |ist &. af. Ch. Carertomaa eTdes {ign 2078! 2017

December. When

we started home, we

hill, headed north. The dogs

didn’t see him—their vision is surprisingly poor—but they got wildly excited when they caught his scent at the point where he began his flight and started to tug frantically on their leashes. The dogs wanted

to follow him into the forest. So did I, but it was getting dark. There will be other opportunities to track deer when the light comes back.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com/Podcast.

169

Dr

es Hoe and Observan Federal holidays are listed in bold. For Movable Religious Caievantee see cate141.

Jan. 1

Jan. 16

New Year’s Day s King Jr.’a Martin Luther

Birthday, observed Jan. 19

Robert E. Lee Day (Fla., Ky.)

Jan. 20

Inauguration Day

Feb. 2 Groundhog Day Arowmzmrrna Feb. 12 Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday _ Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day Feb. 15 “SusanB.‘Anthony’ s Birthday (Fla.) Feb. 20

Presidents’ Day

Feb. 22

George Washington’ S Birthday

Feb. 28

“Mardi Gras (Baldwin & Mobile counties, Ala.; La.)

Mar. 2 Mar. 7 Mar. 17

Mar. 27

Texas Independence Day Town Meeting Day (Vt.)

June 20 |

West VirginiaDay

July 1

| Canada Day

July4 |

July 24 Aug. 1 |

_

Independence Day .ce Pioneer Day (Utah) Colorado Day __

Aug. 7

Civic Holiday ( parts ofCanada bas

Aug. 16

Bennington Battle Day (Vi.) National Aviation Day : Women’s Equality Day

Aug. 19 Aug. 26

Sept. 4 | Labor Day

Sept. 9

Admission Day (Calif)

Sept. 10

Grandparents Day

Sept. 17

Constitution Day

Sept. 14 Patriot Day

Sept. 21 ‘ International Day of Peace

St. Patrick’s Day

Oct. 2

Evacuation Day (Suffolk Co., Mass.)

Oct. 9

| Child Health Day

Columbus Day, observed Native Americans’ Day (S.Dak.)

Leif Eriksson Day Thanksgiving Day (Canada)

| Seward’s Day (Alaska)

Mar. 31

César Chavez Day

Apr. 3

Pascua Florida Day, observed

Oct. 18

Alaska Day

Patriots Day (Maine, Mass.)

Oct. 24

United Nations Day

Apr. 21

San Jacinto Day (Tex.)

Oct. 27

Nevada Day

Apr. 22

Earth Day

Oct. 31

Halloween

Apr. 28

National Arbor Day

Nov. 4

Will Rogers Day (Okla.)

May 5

Cinco de Mayo

Nov. 7

Election Day

May 8

Truman Day (Mo.)

Nov. 11

Veterans Day

May 14

Mother’s Day

May 20

Apr. 17

Remembrance Day (Canada)

Armed Forces Day

Nov. 19

May 22

National Maritime Day

Nov. 23

Discovery of Puerto Rico Day Thanksgiving Day

Victoria Day (Canada) Memorial Day, observed

Nov. 24

Acadian Day (La.)

May 29

Dec. 7

National Pearl Harbor

June 5

World Environment Day

June 11

Dec. 15

Remembrance Day ~ Bill of Rights Day

Dec. 17

Wright Brothers Day

Dec. 25

Christmas Day

June 18

King Kamehameha I Day (Hawaii) Flag Day Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk Co., Mass.) Father’s Day

Dec. 26

June 19

Emancipation Day (Tex.)

Boxing Day (Canada) First day of Kwanzaa

June 14 June 17

170

es 4

Love calendar lore? Find more at Almanac.com/Calendar.

2017

fo

Nidal Glossary %

Apogean Tide: A monthly tide of decreased range that occurs when the Moon is at apogee (farthest from Earth).

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environments caused by industrial pollution, automobile ex-

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| Mean Lower Low Water: The arithmetic mean of the lesser of a daily pair of low wa| ters, observed over a specific 19-year cycle | called the National Tidal Datum Epoch. occurs twice a month, when the Moon is in

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Spring Tide: A tide of increased range that occurs

at times of syzygy

each month.

Named not for the season of spring but from the German springen (‘‘to leap up”), a spring tide also brings a lower low water. Syzygy: The nearly straight-line configuration that occurs twice a month, when the

Sun and the Moon are in conjunction (on the

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

FISHING Best

Fishing Days and Times -

he best times to fish are when the fish are naturally most active. The Sun, Moon,

tides, and weather all influence fish activity. For example, fish tend to feed more at

sunrise and sunset, and also during a full Moon (when tides-are higher than average). — However, most of us go fishing when we can get the time off, not because it is the best

time. But there are best times, according to fishing lore: @ One hour before and one hour after high tides, and one hour before and one hour after low tides. (The times of high tides for Boston are given on pages 142-168; also see pages 250-251. Inland, the times for high tides correspond with the times when the Moon is due south. Low tides are halfway between high tides.)

M@ During the “morning rise” (after sunup for a spell) and the “evening rise” (just before sundown and the hour or so after). H@ During the rise and set of the Moon.

M@ When the barometer is steady or on the rise. (But even during stormy periods, the fish aren’t going to give up feeding. The smart The Best Fishing Days for 2017, when the boon ik between

; j : ‘ : B When there is a hatch of flies—caddis flies or mayflies, commonly.

new and full:

™@ When the breeze is from a westerly quarter, rather than from the

January 1-12 January 27-Fobruary 10

—_—

ae

fisherman will find just the right bait.)

Bg

north or east. “ When the water is still or slightly rippled, rather than during a wind. .

.

ee

February 26-March 12

.

z

j

3

.

:

.

March 27-April 11

Measure the fish from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. Then measure its girth at the thickest portion of its midsection.

April 26-May 10 May 25-June 9

The weight of a fat-bodied fish

sled tt July 23-August 7

(bass, salmon) = :

(length x girth x girth)/800

August 21-September 6 September 20-October5 October 19-November 4

The weight of a slender fish —(trout, northern pike) = (length x girth x girth)/900

November 18-December3 Dackinber 19-31

-xample: If a fish is 20 inches long and has a 12-inch girth,

CS

—Sq

< salmon

its estimated weight is

(20 x 12 x 12)/900 = 2,880/900 = 3.2 pounds

catfish. 172

2017

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

173

ANNIVERSARY IN HIS OWN WORDS...

The Life and Times of Robert B. Thomas In the 1833 Almanac, founder Robert Bailey Thomas began this “Concise Memoir of the Author and Editor of The (Old) Farmer’s Almanac,”

installments

of which were published over a span of 5 years. y grandfather, William Thomas, was a native of Wales (Eng.) and born there of an opulent family, and received a liberal education, at Christ’s College, Cambridge. He emigrated to this country about 1718. He with other brothers came first to Stonington, Conn., then to Marlborough (Mass.) about the year 1720. He married Lydia Eager, a daughter of a respectable farmer of Shrewsbury, and resided in Marlborough until he died in 1738. Two years after which

my grandmother died. He had two sons and four daughters. My father, William, was the eldest son, born in Marlborough, March 1725. After his mother’s death, my father went to Shrewsbury to live with his grandmother Eager, where he resided some years. He attended the town school in the winter, and being studious and fond of reading, purchased many books, and soon became quite a scholar for those days. In 1744, he commenced school keeping at Brookfield, at the age of 174

19 years, which he followed winters, for upward of 40 years.

In April 1747, he left for England to obtain a patrimony belonging to his father in Wales. On May 8th, he was taken by a French privateer out of Dunkirk and stripped of everything. He was ransomed, and arrived at Boston in October. In August 1749, he made another voyage to London and visited Wales, with the expectation of obtaining his right of inheritance. He was unsuccessful, due to the lapse of time since my grandfather left Wales.

|: 1764, my father bought a small farm in Shrewsbury. In 1765, he married Azubah Goodale, daughter of Joseph Goodale, a farmer in Grafton, at whose house, the subject of these memoirs was born, April 24th, 1766.

I removed with my parents, while

quite an infant, from Grafton to the farm in Shrewsbury, now West Boylston. The farm was in a district

then known as Shrewsbury-leg. (It

ANNIVERSARY

PRECINCT, YET NEVER MOVED FROM THE SAME FARM. is rather paradoxical, but no less a fact, that I have resided in four incorporated towns and two distinct parishes, and one precinct, yet never moved from the same farm.) I had one brother only, born June 1768, named Aaron. In our youth, we were brought up to farming. Our father, who was thought to be quite a scholar for those days, instructed us at home and sent us to the winter school. In 1781, I lost my mother, who died in an apoplectic fit. My father married Esther Whitney, a maiden lady, in 1782, but had no issue. In the winter of 1783-4, my father sent me to Spencer to improve my

penmanship with Dr. I. Allen, who lustration: The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1837

wrote the most beautiful and superior copy hand of any person in the country, and I much improved my handwriting. The succeeding winter, I was agreeably and closely occupied in the study of arithmetic, under my father’s inspection, who was well versed in this science. y father was a great reader and possessed a larger miscellaneous _ library than usually found in a country town. I spent most of my leisure hours in reading. Among many scientific works, no one engrossed more of my attention than Ferguson’s Astronomy. From the study of this work, I first acquired 175

ANNIVERSARY the idea of calculating an Almanack [sic]. Previously, I had made a num-

New Hampshire and Vermont Almanack, but failed to see him.

ber of calculations of new and full he next winter, to keep school

Moons, projected several eclipses, but found it impracticable to make all the necessary calculations for an

I agreed in West

Boylston but left it when I

Almanack. In 1786, I had an applica-

agreed to open a school in Sterling.

tion to keep school in my native town. I returned home in April and worked on the farm through the summer.

It enjoyed the full tide of success for

| n the fall of 1787, I had an invitation to keep school in Princ-

eton. This I continued until the first of April 1788, when I returned to my father’s in Sterling and continued on the farm through the

a few weeks, when all at once the whole school was taken down with the measles and [I] was dismissed. I pursued my avocations through the summer. I arranged for a printer in Boston to print 1,000 of Perry’s Spelling Book, which I bound, and other school books, and commenced

[a]

Bookseller

business.

summer. In the fall, I kept school in

There being few books in the coun-

Sterling, where I spent one of the pleasantest winters of my life. In April 1789, I returned to my father’s and pursued my favourite study of astronomy, occasionally laboring on the farm, and busying

try, | found good sales to the store-

myself with

he refused to let me have them, saying he did not sell in sheets, only to

bookbinding—manu-

scripts, account books, and neighbors’ old books. I found, with all my reading, the

want of practical knowledge of the calculations of an Almanack, which I could not obtain by reading—this was my hobby. In September, I journeyed

into Vermont to see the then famous Dr. S. Sternes, who for many years calculated Isaiah Thomas’s Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island,

keepers, schoolmasters, etc. Some time in the fall, I called on Isaiah Thomas of Worcester (no relation, as I know of) to purchase 100 of his Almanacks in sheets, but

those of the trade. I confess I was mortified and came home with a determination to have an Almanack of

my own. I well knew that there were many things in his that were not generally approved of and which I knew I could remedy. In the fall of 1790, I had a press-

ing invitation to keep school again in Boylston. I commenced my school in

| WELL KNEW THAT THERE WERE MANY THINGS IN HIS [ALMANAC] THAT WERE NOT GENERALLY APPROVED OF AND WHICH | KNEW | COULD REMEDY. 176

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

177

ANNIVERSARY [a STILL | COULD NOT RELINQUISH THE IDEA OF PUBLISHING AN ALMANACK OF MY OWN. the month of December and continued it through the winter. In the spring of 1791, I returned home to my father’s and pursued bookbinding, except a few weeks

when

I assisted

in hay-making.

Early in the fall, I had several applications to keep school, but I gave no encouragement to any applicant till at last one of the school committee in Princeton agreed to postpone the school until January 1, 1792. At which time I commenced my school and boarded with Capt. Allen and his family. While there, I formed an acquaintance in a family of which, some years afterwards, I married one of the daughters.

with Osgood Carlton, then a teacher of mathematics, to instruct me in as-

tronomy as related to calculating an Almanack. This he readily consented to do, for a stipulated consideration. I continued at Mr. Carlton’s school till the latter part of August, and made all the calculations for an Almanack for the year 1793. Before I left town, I disposed of my copy to two young printers for a certain percentage on all those that should be sold. In justice to myself, I ought to state that my likeness is inserted in this number of the Almanack at the special desire of my publishers. -R.B.T.

AFTERWORD fter finishing my school, I returned to my father’s in April, with a full determination never to resume it again. The business never was very congenial to my feelings; I had pursued it for want of some better employment. I had now made up my mind to follow the binding business. My brother, whose health was not good, concluded to go into business with me. We contracted a carpenter to build us a bindery and store adjoining my father’s house. Still I could not relinquish the idea of publishing an Almanack of my own. The last of June or the first of July 1792, I went to Boston and arranged

178

The Farmer’s Almanac by Robert B. Thomas, a book of 48 pages, was an immediate success. Circulation of its second edition tripled from 3,000 to 9,000 copies. Thomas remained the editor until his death at age 80 in 1846, supposedly while reading proofs for the 1847 edition.

By then, his was the oldest almanac in the country. This fact inspired Thomas’s successor, John H. Jenks, to add the word “Old” to the title, forever distinguishing this

publication from common forms of the genre. Today, The Old Farmer’s Almanac stands as the oldest continuously published periodical in North America. @

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

179

“Curtains: fwhite

and green light draped over us. It seemed — like we could reach -and touch the folds. -Nancy V., Ventura, CA,

about aBob Berman tip —

See the Northern Lights with The Old Farmer’s Almanac! Join us in Alaska to see the aurora borealis from February 26—March 3, 2017. Led by the Almanac’s astronomy editor, Bob Berman, this 6-day, 5-night adventure promises to be the trip of a lifetime.

By night, behold the blazing and magical curtains of light. By day, tour Alaska! Highlights include: * accommodations, most meals ¢ luxury bus transport in Alaska ¢ Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks ° World Ice Art Championships

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dog sledding hot springs pool astronomy lectures photography tutorial optional train tour and much, much more!

has A

Space is limited! For details and reservations, visit Almanac.com/Tours or call 845-901-7049. Ice Sculpture photo: FairbanksMike

ANNIVERSARY

(NPT)

|

Toss

|

FARMER’s ALMANAG, CALCULATED FOR

ON A NEW

THE

YEAR

AND

OF OUR

1793: _

IMPROVED

n

PLAN,

LORD

e

Being the firft after Leap Year, and _feventcenth of the Independence of Amcrica. Fitted to the town of Boston, but will ferve for any of the adjoining States.

Containing, befides the large number of AsrroNOMICAL CALCULATIONS and FARMER’s CaLENDAR for every month in the year, as great a variety as are to be found in any other Almanac, Of NEW, USEFUL, and ENTERTAINING MATTER.

|

_

ny

ROBERT

B. THOMAS.

“ While the bright radient fin in centre glows, The earth, in annual motion round it goes; At the fame ume on its own axis reels,

!

And gives us change of feafons as it wheels.’’

Publifhed according to A& of Congrefs.

PRINTED AT THE Apollo Jprefs, 1n Boston,

BY

BELKNAP

ann

HALL,

Sold at their Office, State Street; alfo, by the Author and M. Smith, Sterling.

[Sexpence jingle, 45. per dozen, 405. per grace.|

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