Extra Word (Full Moon) Sudoku for Friday, 1/29/2010

photo: Jaime JaimeJunior, courtesy publicdomainpictures.net (Full moon)

This extra blog entry is coming at an unusual time, if you’ve noticed my usual pattern of blogging. That’s because I want you to run outside right now and look up at the moon.

Weather and cloud cover permitting, Saturday Jan. 30 at 1:18 am EST, you’ll witness the year’s first full moon, which will coincidentally be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year.

According to SPACE.com, this full moon appears about 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than any other full moon this year. And look just to the left of the moon: that reddish object is Mars.

Robert Roy Britt, the Editorial Director of SPACE.com, explains just why the moon appears bigger and brighter in an article published today (http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100129/sc_space/biggestandbrightestfullmoonof2010tonight). The moon’s perigee, the closest point of its elliptical orbit to the earth, coincides with the full moon.

As an indication of just how good SPACE.com is, the fascinating story of full moons just gets started with Britt’s article. Joe Rao, SPACE.com columnist, instructor at New York's Hayden Planetarium and meteorologist for News 12 in Westchester, New York, explains in another article (http://www.space.com/spacewatch/full-moon-names-2010-100127.html) how full moons get their names throughout the year from Native America traditions.

Solve the Qudoku puzzle set here first before reading Rao’s article. That’s because the puzzle challenges you to discover the three names for the year’s first full moon.

WALNUT
Full Moon Sudoku: 6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the words exactly once

FORMED
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid to spell out the names of this full moon

Solutions first thing in the morning. I’ll continue this theme throughout the year, on the day of each full moon.

Thanks,
--Dave