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Lune rousse

English translation: Pink moon

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Lune rousse
English translation:Pink moon
Entered by: claude-andrew

16:38 Jul 11, 2012
French to English translations [PRO]
Meteorology / The Moon
French term or phrase: Lune rousse
I'm asked to translate the following article (as part of a much larger encyclopaedic project):

Lune rousse

On parle de lune rousse, au début du printemps, lorsque la présence de la Lune dans le ciel nocturne présage des gelées qui vont faire roussir les jeunes pousses.

En réalité les gelées ne sont pas dues à la Lune.
Mais le fait que cet astre soit visible la nuit indique que le ciel est sans nuage.
Dans ces conditions la chaleur du sol (accumulée la journée) peut monter haut dans l'atmosphère, sans obstacle.
Ce qui fait que ces nuits sont plus froides que si le ciel était couvert, ce qui peut occasionner des gelées.

Les anciens avaient remarqué la concordance entre ces deux phénomènes : présence de la Lune et jeunes plants roussis.
Mais pourtant il n'y a pas toujours de lien de cause à effet.

D'une part il peut y avoir des nuits où la Lune est visible sans qu'il y ait de gelée (s'il ne fait pas trop froid).
D'autre part lors de la nouvelle lune, l'astre de la nuit ne sera pas visible, mais le ciel pourra être dégagé et des gelées pourront se produire...

I can find no reference to an equivalent term in English. Such terms as "Red Moon", "Pink moon", "Spring moon", "April moon" exist, but are not part of any folklore like the French term. And nothing I can find in English takes into account the ancient comparison between a supposedly reddish moon and the red colour of frost damaged vegetation.
I've been gardening for 55 years, the first 20 in the UK and the rest in France. It was not until I came to France that I heard the expression "Lune rousse" (and "Les saints de glace" of course); I'm considering suggesting to the client that they omit this article, which represents less than 0.1% of the total job. But I'd welcome your views first.
claude-andrew
France
Local time: 18:15
Pink moon
Explanation:
This is the traditional name for the moon appearing in April. The NASA site also talks of the Rose moon.
Selected response from:

Gurudutt Kamath
India
Local time: 21:45
Grading comment
Thanks - a difficult one, this, being a question more of local folklore!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3Pink moon
Gurudutt Kamath
4April moon
Stefan Sobanski, C. Tr.
2russet moon
chris collister
Summary of reference entries provided
Clear moon, frost soon
Laurel Clausen

Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
russet moon


Explanation:
sounds suitably poetic. Apparently it's also a shade of lipstick... Meteorologically speaking, I would guess that when the blue and green components of white light are absorbed by dust or smoke particles, you're left with red.

chris collister
France
Local time: 18:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: A charming suggestion, Chris But alas not encylopaedia-suitable. Reminds me (indirectly) of a poem by Fleur Adcock - "It's going to be a splendid summer/The apple tree will be thick with russets expanding weightily in the soft air" ... Well, I have just 2 Cox's this year - I blame it all on the Lune rousse.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Wendy Streitparth: The term undoubtedly exists but depicts the colour of the moon as you say.
28 mins
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40 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Pink moon


Explanation:
This is the traditional name for the moon appearing in April. The NASA site also talks of the Rose moon.


    Reference: http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/FullMoon.html
    Reference: http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970314a....
Gurudutt Kamath
India
Local time: 21:45
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in HindiHindi
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks - a difficult one, this, being a question more of local folklore!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks - yes, that does give me a peg on which to hang my article.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard
12 mins
agree  Kévin Bernier: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lune_rousse
5 hrs
disagree  cc in nyc: pink moon: no connection to cloudless skies, visibility of the moon, frost or freezes; it's just the date of the April full moon: http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-dates-and-times/
9 hrs
agree  Cyril B.
14 hrs
agree  Rachel Fell: didn't know this, but here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46977641/ns/technology_and_scien... & even here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2126416/Easter-Passo...
1 day 4 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
April moon


Explanation:
Dictionnaire encyclopédique d'agrométéorologie : français-anglais-espagnol : index des mots clés / S. de Parcevaux, coordonnateur ; (avec) D. Payen ... (et al.). --

Paris : CILF : INRA : MétéoFrance, c1990.

323 p.;Comprend des index.;Bibliographie : p. 315-319.;ISBN 2853192180.


    Reference: http://www.comet.ucar.edu/dstreme/archive/course/spr_99/s99w...
Stefan Sobanski, C. Tr.
Canada
Local time: 12:15
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
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Reference comments


6 mins peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: Clear moon, frost soon

Reference information:
Found on a weather proverbs site (see link below):

"Clear moon, frost soon."
If the atmosphere is clear, the surface of the earth will cool rapidly as heat is radiated away at night. There is no "blanket" of clouds to keep the heat that the ground absorbed during the day from radiating back up into space. If the temperature is low enough on these clear nights and there's no wind, frost may form.

That being said, I've never heard this before and would certainly not be looking it up in an encyclopedia...


    Reference: http://www.wxdude.com/proverb.html
Laurel Clausen
United States
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Note to reference poster
Asker: Yes, Laurel, I found just the same expression; but as you say, it's not an encyclopaedia item.


Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  cc in nyc: Maybe not an encyclopedia term, but the closest to the French, IMO
1 day 12 hrs
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