Every year at this time, I look forward to seeing the Perseid meteor showers. It’s a stellar summer event that comes at a time of year when it is usually warm at night and an opportunity to get out either for a walk or on the water to see what look like stars falling from the sky. I was particularly excited this year as the Perseids were set to coincide with a new moon, which would mean that it would be extra dark out and even better for seeing the stars. However, as has been the case many nights this summer, it has either rained or been cloudy nearly every evening. So, I have yet to see them.

While eager for the darkness of the full moon, I was not surprised to see the clouds come in as the moon waned. This seems to happen a lot. We are on a particular weather pattern that then seems to shift at the point of the full or new moon. The moon’s impact on the tides makes sense: when the sun, moon and Earth are all in alignment at both the full and new moons, the gravitational pull is the strongest and tides are the largest. Why it impacts weather is less clear to me.

A recent trip to the grocery store led me to pick up a copy of the 2024 Farmers’ Almanac, which I thought might help unearth some lunar lore that could help explain these seemingly predictable shifts. I haven’t looked at a Farmers’ Almanac for many years and had forgotten how many pages of advertisements for everything from walk-in bathtubs to fertilizers to natural skin-care products and children’s books you have to get through to get to the meat of the annual publication. After leafing past those first pages, I found a section that validated, if not exactly explained, the somewhat regular shifts in weather that occur at the full and new moons.

The 2024 almanac states the power of “cyclical and predictable movements” to “stir up atmospheric disturbances.” The moon’s motions definitely qualify as cyclical. The following sections go on to predict all sorts of weather patterns for the coming year and also to highlight days of the year that are supposedly best for doing certain types of activities. These range from logical ones like when to plant your seeds to more unexpected activities like when to do housework. For each of these activities, there are several days of each month when you have the greatest chance of success. The “lucky” days are based on the moon’s phase and the zodiac sign. I’ve never studied astrology and am not sure about its validity, but I do believe in patterns in natural phenomena and their ability to provide guidance and understanding of the natural world.

For example, there’s an article in the almanac entitled, “Does Nature Hold the Secrets to Better Fishing?” It explores whether weather impacts the chance of fish biting. Are cloudy days better? Or rainy days? Some say fish bite more on cloudy days because of the low levels of light that make it easier for them to sneak up on their prey. And some say they bite better in the rain for similar reasons — the dappling and shadowing of the rain distracts the littler fish they are trying to sneak up on. These both make some logical sense. But the piece of the article that caught my attention was the importance of noticing patterns. This is one of my favorite aspects of nature observation: what is known as phenology, or the study of cyclic patterns in nature. These patterns can provide clues as to what is happening and help guide you either simply to a better understanding or perhaps to be better at catching fish. The big idea is that by studying a place over time and its various aspects, you can learn about the whole system. This is what led me to not be surprised when the clouds came in with the new moon, because I had noticed it many times before.

I’m still hoping for a clear night to catch the Perseids this season. But in the meantime, I’ve at least learned a little more about the predictive power of repeated observation and enjoyed rediscovering the old-school wit and wisdom found in the Farmers’ Almanac.

Susan Olcott is the director of operations at Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.

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