The holiday season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. A time for joy, kindness, good will towards men, and of course, presents. But this year, the holiday gods decided to be nice, so we’re getting one more. From all of us here at Apex Tribune, we wish you a merry Christmas and a full moon as well.
- The last time we got a full moon on Christmas was in 1977
- The next time we’ll have a full moon on Christmas will be in 2034
- The full moon will make its appearance Friday, at 6:11 A.M. EST
- The moon has been drifting farther and farther apart from Earth since its birth
- The winter solstice refers to the time of the year during which the Sun is at its lowest
For the first time since 1977, the Christmas night will light up with a full moon, offering people all over the world a twice, maybe thrice in a lifetime opportunity.
Since the next full moon on Christmas will take place in 2034, if you’re missing this one, you’ll have a lot to wait until another similar opportunity.
The event was made public by Fred Espenak, an astronomer working for NASA, and he posted an entry on the subject on the agency’s website.
Another NASA astronomer, John Keller, said that the moon will rise quite early, and it will be visible high in sky for the entire night.
Since the moon tends to spend quite a lot of its time above the horizon line this time of the year, especially due to the winter solstice, this moon is also called the Long Night Moon.
The winter solstice is the time of the year when the Sun is at its lowest. Due to the moon usually being diametrically opposite to the Sun, during this time of the year, the long night moon will have a very high trajectory, as well as a lengthier arc.
This will allow it to be more visible than during other times.
The Yuletide Moon is another name for the event, and it will take place three days after the winter solstice, which is on December 22nd.
Other names for the event, given by other cultures such the Native Americans and the Romans are Full Long Night Moon, Full Cold Moon, and The Moon before Yule.
If NASA wanted to make sure that people watch the event, it must mean that it’s truly quite spectacular. And maybe it’s exactly what the world needs, some holiday spirit, in order to get rid of the gloom that has been threatening to take over lately.
Image source: Flickr
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