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For the first time in decades, the full moon and the summer solstice will take place almost on the same day. Even though the exact hours of the events do not match perfectly, Monday will be the best day to enjoy both a bright full moon and a full bright sun.
The Happy Monday
Monday will be this year’s longest day, with 14 hours and 56 minutes of daytime. On the summer solstice, the sun appears to be stopping in the middle of the sky.
Days will become hotter and hotter because from now until the beginning of autumn the rays of the sun will fall straight towards Earth and thus they will be more powerful.
The summer solstice signals the start of astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere.
On the same time, Monday will be the day of June’s full moon. Our planet’s satellite will be opposite to the sun, allowing its two hemispheres to be completely illuminated.
The lunar event will be the fourth of the season, which makes it a bit unusual because normally there are only three full moons in one season.
Our satellite will usually appear low near the horizon during summer time and high up in the sky during winter. As the full moon on Monday will remain low, the thicker air will make it appear colored in shades of red.
The full moon rise will be webcast live by the Slooh telescopes from the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands.
Split Seasons Reunited by Full Moon
The day will be full of celebrations, marking the split seasons from the northern and southern hemisphere. The summer solstice will take place in the northern part of the globe, and the winter solstice will happen on the southern part of the Earth.
Therefore, on Monday Chileans will celebrate winter in their We Tripantu festivities. People used to stay up all night with the fear that the sun will not rise the next day again.
No one told Chileans’ ancestors that the sun was, in fact, hold captive in the northern hemisphere, where it seems it completely forgets to come down from the sky and visit the southern part of our planet.
On the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year will be celebrated with parades and festivals. In the old days, there were also feasting, dancing, and bonfires.
The exact time of the two events is more than 12 hours apart. However, Monday will be the best time to relax under the full strength of the sun by day and enjoy the beautiful full moon by night.
Image Source: Wikipedia
