A look at the moon ahead of the lowest full moon of the year
That in itself is nothing unusual, but this particular full moon is generating quite a bit of interest by being the lowest full moon of the year as well as one of the furthest from the sun.
Every year, the full moon is at its minimum altitude above the horizon in June. This is because it lies opposite to the sun, which, by contrast, is at its highest point this month as we approach the summer solstice.
Because the moon's orbit is slightly tilted, it doesn't quite follow the same path as the sun and planets, that path being referred to as the ecliptic. The moon wanders slightly, travelling above and below the ecliptic, and this Tuesday reaches a point when it will be at its furthest southerly point, something that occurs every 18.6 years.
This means that June's full moon will be at a point astronomers refer to as a 'lunar standstill' or 'lunistice'. The next time this will occur is June 2043.
This all means that on Tuesday evening the moon will rise at around 9.30pm, but not achieve any great altitude, literally skimming the south-east horizon. Aside from the moon appearing very low in the sky and hardly climbing at all, the position where the moon rises and eventually sets will also be the closest points possible, rising in the southeast, then setting in the southwest.
There's also the fact that this full moon is one of the most distant too, about 94,600 miles from the sun. For comparison, the average is around 93,200 miles.
June's full moon, also referred to as the Strawberry Moon, given the ripening of the fruit at this time of year, will also be shining, (reflected sunlight), through the thickest layer of the Earth's atmosphere possible and may well appear golden in colour, perhaps orange, or even red. This is all down to the scattering of light to allow for longer wavelengths of colour to show through, like yellows and oranges.
You may have noticed that when the moon is low down on the horizon it actually seems bigger than when it's high up in the sky? Well, in fact, it's not; it's a trick of the mind known as the 'moon illusion'.
Photographs prove that there is no real difference in size between the moon when it is positioned low on the horizon or when high up in the sky, but this is not what we see, with an optical illusion created by how our brains absorb visual information. The illusion has baffled minds down the centuries with records of the seemingly enlarged Moon dating back to 4th century BC. Whilst there is no solid scientific explanation for the 'moon illusion', in reality, the moon's distance really doesn't change all that much, no matter where it is positioned in the sky.
The International Space Station continues to have a rest from being on view in our skies.
Send your astrophotography pictures to: thenightsky@themoon.co.uk
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That in itself is nothing unusual, but this particular full moon is generating quite a bit of interest by being the lowest full moon of the year as well as one of the furthest from the sun. Every year, the full moon is at its minimum altitude above the horizon in June. This is because it lies opposite to the sun, which, by contrast, is at its highest point this month as we approach the summer solstice. Because the moon's orbit is slightly tilted, it doesn't quite follow the same path as the sun and planets, that path being referred to as the ecliptic. The moon wanders slightly, travelling above and below the ecliptic, and this Tuesday reaches a point when it will be at its furthest southerly point, something that occurs every 18.6 years. This means that June's full moon will be at a point astronomers refer to as a 'lunar standstill' or 'lunistice'. The next time this will occur is June 2043. This all means that on Tuesday evening the moon will rise at around 9.30pm, but not achieve any great altitude, literally skimming the south-east horizon. Aside from the moon appearing very low in the sky and hardly climbing at all, the position where the moon rises and eventually sets will also be the closest points possible, rising in the southeast, then setting in the southwest. There's also the fact that this full moon is one of the most distant too, about 94,600 miles from the sun. For comparison, the average is around 93,200 miles. June's full moon, also referred to as the Strawberry Moon, given the ripening of the fruit at this time of year, will also be shining, (reflected sunlight), through the thickest layer of the Earth's atmosphere possible and may well appear golden in colour, perhaps orange, or even red. This is all down to the scattering of light to allow for longer wavelengths of colour to show through, like yellows and oranges. You may have noticed that when the moon is low down on the horizon it actually seems bigger than when it's high up in the sky? Well, in fact, it's not; it's a trick of the mind known as the 'moon illusion'. Photographs prove that there is no real difference in size between the moon when it is positioned low on the horizon or when high up in the sky, but this is not what we see, with an optical illusion created by how our brains absorb visual information. The illusion has baffled minds down the centuries with records of the seemingly enlarged Moon dating back to 4th century BC. Whilst there is no solid scientific explanation for the 'moon illusion', in reality, the moon's distance really doesn't change all that much, no matter where it is positioned in the sky. The International Space Station continues to have a rest from being on view in our skies. Send your astrophotography pictures to: thenightsky@
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