APOD: Full Moon of Spring (2020 Apr 10)

[APOD Robot]

Full Moon of Spring

Explanation: From home this Full Moon looked bright. Around our fair planet it rose as the Sun set on April 7/8, the first Full Moon after the vernal equinox and the start of northern hemisphere spring. April's full lunar phase was also near perigee, the closest point in the Moon's elliptical orbit. In fact, it was nearer perigee than any other Full Moon of 2020 making it the brightest Full Moon of the year. To create the visual experience a range of exposures were blended to capture the emerging foreground foliage and bright lunar disk. The hopefull image of spring was recorded from a home garden in skies over Chongqing, China.

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[MarkBour]

Is that a corona I see around the Moon? And the little buds on the plant have a familiar shape, too.

Okay, now I don't find this picture soothing at all.

[neufer]

Is that a corona I see around the Moon?

And the little buds on the plant have a familiar shape, too.

Okay, now I don't find this picture soothing at all.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

[orin stepanek]

It's always awesome yo look at a full moon on a clear day! Almost mesmerizing!

MoonSpringDai_1024crop.jpg

[neufer]

Pistillate flowers of the paper mulberry

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<<The paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera, syn. Morus papyrifera L.) is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to Asia, where its range includes China, Japan, Korea, Indochina, Burma, and India. The ability of the plant to readily colonize available habitat, particularly disturbed areas, has helped it become an invasive species in some regions. It spreads rapidly when male and female individuals grow together and seeds are produced. Seed dispersal is accomplished by animals that eat the fruits, and the plants can form wide, dense stands via their spreading root systems. This is considered to be one of the worst weeds in Pakistan, one of the most significant invasive plants on the Pampas in Argentina, and a dominant invasive in the forests of Uganda. The pollen is allergenic. It is reportedly a main culprit of inhalant allergy in Islamabad, where the species is a very common urban weed. The pollen allergy and asthma caused by this plant sends thousands of patients to hospitals in Islamabad during March. The specific variety should not be taken to other areas without extreme caution as to how the pollen will get dispersed.>>