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Did you hear? The full moon is supposed to look larger than normal tonight.

An article by Robert Roy Britt from Live Science that is posted on AOL News today explains that tonight’s moon will seem bigger than usual because it’s two days before the summer solstice, when the sun is at the highest point in the sky. The large appearance of the moon is an optical illusion.

My favorite time to look at the moon is the Harvest Moon, or the first full moon after the initial fall frost. The Harvest Moon, which usually occurs shortly after the start of autumn, is my start to the Halloween season. This moon looks extra big, bright and almost eerie to me. Add in a chilly breeze and a few clouds and I feel like if I look up for long enough, I might see a witch fly by on her broomstick. And I’m not talking about the woman I encountered last week who thought I had a stop sign when I didn’t and shouted at me for not stopping.

I have fond childhood memories of my mother calling me outside to look at astrological events such as this. Whether it was a solar eclipse where I was instructed not to look directly at the sun, or a special alignment of Mars and Venus, she would have me take a peek. I even recall seeing several shooting stars with her on an August night over 10 years ago.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Web site says in Dallas, Pa., the moon will rise at 9:08 p.m. and set at 4:58 a.m. on Thursday morning.

The Weather Channel calls for showers early and mainly clouds after midnight. As I write this, hail and heavy rain are pounding against the asphalt outside of the office. Hopefully it will clear up enough for you to see the big moon.

 

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