APOD: A Solstice Moon (2024 Jun 29)

[APOD Robot]

A Solstice Moon

Explanation: Rising opposite the setting Sun, June's Full Moon occurred within about 28 hours of the solstice. The Moon stays close to the Sun's path along the ecliptic plane and so while the solstice Sun climbed high in daytime skies, June's Full Moon remained low that night as seen from northern latitudes. In fact, the Full Moon hugs the horizon in this June 21 rooftop night sky view from Bursa, Turkey, constructed from exposures made every 10 minutes between moonrise and moonset. In 2024 the Moon also reached a major lunar standstill, an extreme in the monthly north-south range of moonrise and moonset caused by the precession of the Moon's orbit over an 18.6 year cycle. As a result, this June solstice Full Moon was at its southernmost moonrise and moonset along the horizon.

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[hypermetabolic]

In Thule Greenland where I worked for a year the summer solstice full moom remains about 14.5 degrees below the horizon.

[Ann]

In Thule Greenland where I worked for a year the summer solstice full moon remains about 14.5 degrees below the horizon.

When the Sun is high in the sky, in the summer, the Moon is low in the sky. Of course, the Sun is never high in the sky in (northern) Greenland, but during the summer solstice the Moon is definitely below the horizon at 76 degrees latitude. Conversely, the Sun does not rise above the horizon during the winter solstice in Thule, but the Moon can certainly be seen in the sky for 24 hours (unless the sky is overcast).

We have no midnight Sun where I live, but the Sun only clears the horizon for about 7 hours around December 22. On clear winter nights, the Moon is very high in the sky, and it looks very small, very white, very bright and very cold.

Ann

[MarvinRoyster]

Lunar standstill is not until January 2025. We are getting closer to that point but not quit there yet

[johnnydeep]

Great. Yet another 3D celestial orbital arrangement I don't really understand the consequences of. I.e. the circumstances that result in a "lunar standstill" event. Something about 18.6 years and the axial tilts and orbital inclinations involved. In theory, these diagrams - from Wikipedia - should help me:

Click to view full size image

Click to view full size image

Click to view full size image