Look up tonight! Lunar Standstill
The full moon in every month of the year has an American nickname.
In November it's called the Beaver Moon, in March the Worm Moon, and in June we have the Strawberry Moon.
Most of the time these nicknames are just nicknames, but this year the Strawberry Moon will really look quite strawberry-like! Edinburgh residents should look to the South at 23:16 tonight to see the full moon starting to slowly rise above the horizon. It will look surprisingly large, but don't worry as the moon hasn't changed its size.
It's just an optical illusion thanks to our brains seeing the moon so close to buildings. Importantly for strawberry-lovers it will also look peachy-pink, for the same reason that the Sun looks peachy-pink at sunset. Over the next few hours, the moon will skim over the southern horizon, from just east of south, to just west of south, before setting again at 04:19 in the morning. You won't see the full moon's path this low in the sky again before 2043. This rare event is know as the 'lunar standstill'.
There is some lovely celestial dynamics going on. The Moon orbits the Earth once every 27 days, but its path is tilted at an angle of 5° relative to the orbit that the Earth takes around the Sun. This 5° is why we don't see a total solar eclipse for every new moon.
Our beautiful planet is also tilted as it circles the Sun, which gives us the different seasons. During the longest day of the year, the summer solstice on the 21st June, the Sun is at its highest in our skies. When we see a full moon it's directly opposite to the Sun, and so the full moon that falls closest to the summer solstice will appear at its lowest elevation in the sky.
The rare lunar standstill happens around the solstice when the moon is also at its most extreme point in its 5° tilted orbit. This only happens every 18.6 years and the further north you are, the better the view.
So Edinburgh, do look up tonight!
PHOTOS
Local photographer, Tom Duffin captured the moon last night over Edinburgh, Inchcolm Abbey on its island, and the Forth Bridges. Tonight is another great opportunity to get the moon close to the horizon, coloured up by us viewing it through more of Earth's atmosphere, and looking big next to buildings and objects.
Tom said: 'I'd suggest finding something with an obvious shape on your horizon to have the moon slightly behind, or at least very close to. If you have a tripod and a long lens then don't forget that the moon is moving pretty fast through your frame so choose a higher ISO than you normally would choose, but reduce the brightness of your settings too or you'll overexpose the moon surface details.
'The moon will rise at 149 degrees on your compass – roughly South East. If you can find a lit building then try and get the moon close to that and your exposure will be easier. Have fun out there.'
ALL photos © Tom Duffin
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