Thursday, October 25, 2007

FULL MOON DANCE


If you think the full moon tonight (or tomorrow night) looks larger than usual, you are right. The full moon this October - called the Hunter's Moon - is the largest moon of 2007. The October full moon will be about 50,000 kilometers - or 30,000 miles - closer than 2007's smallest moon, in April. Right now, the moon is at its perigee, or closest point to earth.

When the moon being at perigee coincides with a full moon, the result is a bright, giant heavenly orb. It is expected to look about 14% wider and about 1/3 brighter than the average full moon!

Both my calendar at home and at work say the full moon is tomorrow. However, one site I looked at (http://www.earthsky.org/) says the full moon will occur right about midnight tonight (12:52 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, 11:52 A.M. Central Standard Time).

The moon will rise in the East tonight, be highest in the sky around midnight, and set in the West around sunrise tomorrow morning. I hope I am more observant than I was this morning. When I got to work, Gloria, my co-worker, asked, "Did you see that big, beautiful moon when you were driving over here this morning?"

"Uhh, no I didn't." My gosh, where was my mind? I remember admiring the river - maybe my eyes were cast down rather than up. But tomorrow morning, I will be gazing skyward. However, in case the weather turns cloudy, I had better go out tonight and check out the moon.

In fact, I think tonight's a Marvelous Night for a Moondance. Will you come join me?


Well, it's a marvelous night for a Moondance

With the stars up above in your eyes

A fantabulous night to make romance

'Neath the cover of October skies

And all the leaves on the trees are falling

To the sound of the breezes that blow

And I'm trying to please to the calling

Of your heart-strings that play soft and low

And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush

And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush


Van Morrison, Moondance
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11 comments:

  1. LeanneOctober 25, 2007 at 10:07 PM

    i am up ridiculously early here in UK (the dogs woke me by barking) and its sooty black and cloudy so i cant see the beautiful moon (i woke at 3am-ish)So i will join in your moon dance Julie, in the hope it bloewws my clouds away soi i can see Lady Moon in all her silvery splendour!

    Leanne x

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  2. JanetOctober 25, 2007 at 10:23 PM

    I love that song!! And that picture is beautiful, too. Thanks for the info about the Hunter's Moon. I'll be out there checking with you.

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  3. gmaOctober 26, 2007 at 8:26 AM

    Last night Lee and I went out and watched the moon rise. He'll have no part of a moondance! I have to do that alone...which is how I like it anyway!
    :-)

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  4. couragetocreatewriteandloveOctober 26, 2007 at 11:08 AM

    Of course I will join you!!!
    You are always in my heart.
    Love those lyrics!

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  5. SweetpeaOctober 26, 2007 at 12:34 PM

    I am off to Cornwall very soon, the skies will be much clearer and less polluted than LOndon so can't wait to see the moon and sky there! xxx

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  6. Carole BurantOctober 26, 2007 at 5:15 PM

    I've certainly been noticing the moon these last couple of nights and I'm glad it's not my imagination that it seems bigger than usual!! Last night I stood on the deck and watched it rise through the trees, it was so beautiful. xox

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  7. Lila RostenbergOctober 26, 2007 at 5:58 PM

    Darn, it is still cloudy here!!!!
    :-(

    Love your post as usual!

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  8. RowanOctober 26, 2007 at 11:50 PM

    Lovely moon picture - no real Hunter's Moon for me though as we have had heavy cloud here overnight and there is the threat of rain today. A pity as Lady Moon looked so promising a couple of nights ago just before the full.

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  9. LenaOctober 28, 2007 at 1:43 PM

    I just bought this CD for my car, and was driving home a couple of nights ago, listening to it, when I noticed the moon.
    I'm always reminding myself to look up...in more ways than one.
    Thanks for this lovely post.

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  10. smilnsighOctober 28, 2007 at 3:56 PM

    It's confusing when diff days are listed, for the Full Moon. It happened to me this time, too.

    "Moondance" You quote this here. A gal in France quoted it, not long ago too. :-) Small world.

    Mari-Nanci

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  11. Annie JeffriesOctober 28, 2007 at 4:52 PM

    Hi Julie, the comment is a bit late but I wanted to let you know that after I read this thursday morning (and didn't leave a comment - go figure) I was reminded of how bright and full the moon looked as I gazed at through my bedroom window. It as a little after 7 a.m. then and I thought how you and might have been looking up in the sky at the same time.

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