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Rare Honey Moon / Full Moon Tonight
#1
On a positive note...[Smile] Enjoy!


http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/25770...since-1919


If you missed last night's rare "honey moon," don't worry, because you can still get a glimpse of it tonight.

For the first time in 95 years, a series of events are coming together at the same time, and it won't happen again for another 84 years – June 13 each time.

The "honey moon" earns its name because of the summer solstice, which occurs June 21, and not because June is the start of wedding season. While the origin of the term "honeymoon" to describe the vacation taken by newlyweds is in dispute, it may be related to this event, possibly dating to the 1500s.

The solstice marks the longest day of the year and the moon is currently at its lowest elevation, meaning it will be closer to the horizon, causing a yellowish tint to the moon's appearance due to dust particles scattering the light waves, according to National Geographic. NASA also uses the term "rose moon" since sometimes the tint is more reddish.

Every full moon in June is known as a "honey moon," but what makes this year's so rare is that it coincides with the perigee, which is the point at which the moon is closest to the Earth, making it appear larger in the sky. The moon reached fullness shortly after midnight Eastern, but will still be nearly full tonight. Moonrise tonight is 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

Full moons on Friday the 13th aren't particularly rare, occurring every couple of years, but the last time it happened with June's "honey moon" was in 1919. The "honey moon" is also known as the "strawberry moon" due to its association with Native Americans as the time when strawberries were ripening and its subsequent inclusion in the Farmer's Almanac.

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#2
Thanks Opihikao for this colorful bit of info!
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#3
I'd never even thought about the origins of the word "honeymoon" until now. Thank you, Opihikao!

Whether the moon is at apogee (furthest point from the Earth) or perigee (closest point) it's actually pretty much impossible for the human eye to tell the difference in apparent size. It's measurable of course, but not something you could tell for sure without some measuring aid. Because the full moon is low in the sky, then the other effect happens - the moon illusion - it looks much larger near the horizon than it does when it's higher in the sky. Unless you measure the size of it and not rely on your eyes and mind alone.

It's an optical illusion that is still not fully understood. The human brain is clearly being fooled, but quite why is still a bit of a mystery.
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#4
Aloha, Mr. Tom, Mendo! I found the explanation interesting, and hope y'all got to see how beautiful it was!

Perhaps of interest:

Hawaiian Moon Calendar - Ke Ala o ka Mahina:

http://www.kamehamehapublishing.org/mult...ncalendar/

Brief explanation of Moon phases in Hawaiian culture:

http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hi?Weather.moon

Enjoy the day!
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#5
It's an optical illusion that is still not fully understood.

I believe the scientific term is "atmospheric refraction".
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