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ROSS’S ALMANAC

Compiled by Kirk Ross

I watched October / Flare today / The Flames spread across the highway / Across the ridges, along the creek banks / Where sycamores marched naked
– Sam Ragan, “I Watched October”

The light and temperature plunge this month, but expect a little reminder from nature that we are still a southerly place. Indian Summer typically takes place in late October here in the Piedmont, after the first frost. For what it’s worth, a study of frost dates from 1951 to 1980 has the Chapel Hill frost date as Oct. 23.

Please note that we don’t drop the daylight savings time thing until the first week in November.

Oct. 1 – Sunrise: 7:11 a.m.; Sunset: 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 – Sunrise: 7:37 a.m.; Sunset: 6:21 p.m.

Moon Phases
First Quarter – Oct. 3 Full Moon – Oct. 11
Last Quarter – Oct. 19 New Moon — Oct. 26

The Full Moon in October is the Hunter’s Moon, Travel Moon and Blood Moon. Some people insist that the Harvest Moon is in October rather than September.

Planets & Stars: Earth passes through the dust of Halley’s Comet late in October and that means the Orionids meteor display. The radiant for meteors is a little left of Orion and runs from roughly Oct. 17 to 25, with peak viewing on Oct. 21.

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Cookie Month, Diabetes Awareness Month and, yeah, Sarcastic Month. The first week is Get Organized Week.

Significant Dates
• Oct. 1 is Homemade Cookies Day and World Vegetarian Day
• Child Health Day is Oct. 3
• National Denim Day is Oct. 7
• Columbus Day is Oct. 10
• University Day and Farmers’ Day are on Oct. 12
• Oct. 17 is Black Poetry Day
• Mother-in-Law Day is Oct. 23
• United Nations Day is Oct. 24
• Halloween is Oct. 31

For more of Ross’s Almanac, please visit rossalmanac.com/journal