{"id":176895,"date":"2025-06-11T23:18:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T23:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/176895\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T23:18:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T23:18:18","slug":"look-up-tonight-lunar-standstill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/176895\/","title":{"rendered":"Look up tonight! Lunar Standstill"},"content":{"rendered":"

The full moon in every month of the year has an American nickname.<\/p>\n

In November it\u2019s called the Beaver Moon, in March the Worm Moon, and in June we have the Strawberry Moon.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Most of the time these nicknames are just nicknames, but this year the Strawberry Moon will really look quite strawberry-like!\u00a0 Edinburgh residents should look to the South at 23:16 tonight to see the full moon starting to slowly rise above the horizon.\u00a0 It will look surprisingly large, but don\u2019t worry as the moon hasn\u2019t changed its size.<\/p>\n

\u00a0It\u2019s just an optical illusion thanks to our brains seeing the moon so close to buildings.\u00a0 Importantly for strawberry-lovers it will also look peachy-pink, for the same reason that the Sun looks peachy-pink at sunset.\u00a0 Over the next few hours, the moon will skim over the southern horizon, from just east of south, to just west of south, before setting again at 04:19 in the morning. \u00a0 You won\u2019t see the full moon\u2019s path this low in the sky again before 2043.\u00a0 This rare event is know as the \u201clunar standstill\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is some lovely celestial dynamics going on. The Moon orbits the Earth once every 27 days, but its path is tilted at an angle of 5\u00b0 relative to the orbit that the Earth takes around the Sun. This 5\u00b0 is why we don\u2019t see a total solar eclipse for every new moon.<\/p>\n

Our beautiful planet is also tilted as it circles the Sun, which gives us the different seasons. During the longest day of the year, the summer solstice on the 21st June, the Sun is at its highest in our skies. \u00a0When we see a full moon it\u2019s directly opposite to the Sun, and so\u00a0the full moon that falls closest to the summer solstice will appear at its lowest elevation in the sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rare lunar standstill happens around the solstice when the moon is also at its most extreme point in its 5\u00b0 tilted orbit. This only happens every 18.6 years and the further north you are, the better the view. <\/p>\n

So Edinburgh,\u00a0do look up tonight!<\/p>\n

PHOTOS<\/p>\n

Local photographer, Tom Duffin captured the moon last night over Edinburgh, Inchcolm Abbey on its island, and the Forth Bridges. Tonight is another great opportunity to get the moon close to the horizon, coloured\u00a0up by us viewing it through more of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, and looking big next to buildings and objects.<\/p>\n

Tom said: \u201cI\u2019d suggest finding something with an obvious shape on your horizon to have the moon slightly behind, or at least very close to. If you have a tripod and a long lens then don\u2019t\u00a0forget that the moon is moving pretty fast through your frame so choose a higher ISO than you normally would choose, but reduce the brightness of your settings too or you\u2019ll overexpose the moon surface details.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moon will rise at 149 degrees on your compass \u2013 roughly South East. If you can find a lit building then try and get the moon close to that and your exposure will be easier.\u00a0 Have fun out there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"ALL photos \u00a9 Tom
\nDuffin <\/p>\n

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