Supermoon

Well tonight there is meant to be a supermoon but as you can guess the British weather has put pay to all that especially since we have been hit by a summer storm, so best I can do is select one of the pictures I love from the blog which was taken back in June 2011 from the blog of the full moon over Rutland.

Tonights moon is closer to the earth than it has been in over twenty years, stargazers will see a moon 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than usual. Supermoon's happen when the moon is full and is closest point to the earth during its yearly orbit around the earth. In fact there are three of them this summer and this is meant to be the best, if it wasn't for the cloud. The next one, and the last one of the summer, is the night of 9th September, although the moon won't be as close as it was tonight. Hopefully then there won't be any cloud.

Autumn Moon

Tonight saw a full moon rise above Rutland and shine it light down upon us, lighting the countryside for man and beast. It still amazes me how much light it gives, turning the sky dark blue and lighting up the landscape. Something I never noticed it the city with it orange street lights polluting the sky.

 

I always think there is something special about the full moon, some magical, that is just part of us. May be an odd thing to say in the world we live into today, but then may be it is just part of our ancient past when the phases of the moon had more meaning to us.

This full moon won’t be welcomed by everyone. Those poor people on the East Coast of America that are facing the combination of the post-tropical cyclone Sandy with the high tides the moon will bring. Thankfully the winds have died down a somewhat from those that ripped through Caribbean, but even so water levels have been lapping at record highs in New York City and the power supplier has had to shut off power to parts of lower Manhattan. I just hope everyone is alright when the night has past.

All the same, I hope that something special comes out of tonight’s full moon for me; I even saw a shooting star as I looked upon its beauty. I live in hope and you never know what is round the next corner.

Moonlit Night

Anyone that knows me will know I have a bog thing about the moon. There is something hauntingly beautiful about the light it casts on a moonlit night. It something that has been part of me as long as I can remember. When I was small I would just stare at it for ages in wonder and still I love looking at it. It is like it has some magic power and it holds a special meaning I can't explain.

Tonights full moon was especially interesting to look at and photograph. It was the mixture of the light cloud and the way the moonlight interacted making some wonderful patterns in the sky. With the cloud being light it also produced some colourful moments as can be seen in the picture. It was a lovely sight tonight. 

Hopefully we will get some more lovely moonlit nights over the summer for us all to enjoy. I would love to get out and about and get some pictures of the countryside in the moons magical light. 

Super Moon

Once a year a Super Moon appears in the sky as the Moon, which has an elliptical orbit around the Earth, comes to it closet to the Earth. The super moon is up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than other full Moons of the year.

The Moon will reach perigee, its closet point, at 0434 BST on Sunday, just around the tome it is setting in the UK, and one minute later it will later it will line up with the earth and the Sun to become full. The last time this happened was back in March last year when it was 250 miles closer to the Earth and it was truly magical. This year assuming the sky is clear it should be some Moon set.

Some people believe that the Super Moon is responsible for bizarre behaviour and natural disasters but Scientists have dismissed such notions as fanciful. Its most significant impact is likely to be on the tide, which will be higher than usual by up six inches depending on local geography.

Unfortunately for those that like meteor showers there is a down side to this years Super Moon. It will wash out all but the brightest fireballs from the springtime Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which is caused by debris left by Halley's Comet, which passes by Earth every 76 years.

Harvest Moon

Tonight is the first time in nearly twenty years that there has been a true harvest moon. For tonight there is a full moon at the time of the autumnal equinox and in some parts of the world there will be a super harvest moon as the sun sets and the moon rises both at the same time. It is such an event that major news sources have commented on it and for me it is fascinating.

Traditionally the light of the Harvest Moon was used by farmers to allow them to harvest the crops late into the night and it is often seems bigger and brighter than other full moons, although this is really an illusion. In many cultures it has a special place and a lot of folklore has grown up about it, for example Witches believe that it symbolizes the Goddess at her most fertile and so becomes a good time for creating change, while in China it's arrival is a time for a mid autumn festival that represents the reunion of families. Examples like this can be found from all around the world.

Since I was young the moon, especially the full moon, has fascinated me.  For some reason really unknown to me I have always thought of the full moon as special in some way. I see it as uniting people who are distant in some way, so maybe the idea of Chinese festival is not to far off the mark. You could say it is fanciful thinking but who knows what is possible in this world that we live in. There is still so much mystery in the world that maybe the old festivals and beliefs have some greater meaning.