Monday 9th to Sunday 15th June 2025
On the evening of Tuesday 10th we have a Full Moon. Around
This unusual occurrence is known as a "major lunar standstill". What on Earth does that mean? The Moon's orbit around us is anything but symmetrical and every 18.6 years, its declination (or angle between the Moon's orbit and the equator) reaches a minimum. This is what's happening on the 10th.
Lunar standstills had particular significance for people back in the Bronze Age and they built monuments to line up with the direction in which the standstill occurred.
Because the Moon will be so close to the horizon, observers will also experience a phenomenon called "Moon illusion" where our natural satellite appears much larger than normal.
It isn't really larger (or closer to us) and the effect is purely a trick that your brain plays on you when looking at objects near the horizon. A logical way of understanding it is that the Moon will seem smaller compared to objects on the Earth that are close to you, but larger compared to objects in the distance.
Sticking with the Moon, go back outside around
www.starsoversomerset.com
Moon illusion image courtesy of Wikipedia
Lunar size comparison image courtesy of C M Glee
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2025
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