Take advantage of the clear skies across New England tonight to catch the full Flower Moon rising over the southeastern horizon at sunset.
The Flower Moon actually peaked at 12:55 p.m. EDT, when the exact moment of full moon occurred, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. But the moon will still appear tonight when it rises around 8:30 p.m. local time (it fully rises by 9 p.m.). At first, the moon will appear larger than it actually is because of its proximity to the horizon.
“Seeing it close to the horizon results in what is called the ‘moon illusion’,” said Francine Jackson, staff astronomer at the Ladd Observatory at Brown University. “You will notice it appears to become smaller as it rises, but if you measure it at the horizon, then when it’s high in the sky, the moon will be the same diameter.”
It’s a trick of the mind. “The moon is so far away that no matter where you are on Earth, the moon always looks the same size,“ said Silas Laycock, an astronomy professor at UMass Lowell. ”It is actually the things your mind compares the moon with — a house, a mountain, or anything else — that look bigger or smaller depending on how far away from them you are. So when the moon rises next to a distant house or a faraway mountain, the moon looks enormous.”
This particular moon is known as the Flower Moon because of the profusion of wildflowers that spring up this time of year. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name can be traced back hundreds of years to the Algonquin and Ojibwe peoples, who used moon names to track the seasons.
Usually, there are multiple names for each moon, which are based on the traditions of indigenous tribes and colonial America. The Flower Moon has also been called the Planting Moon, Frog Moon, Budding Moon, and Egg Laying Moon.
One distinction with this Flower Moon is its appearance. It will look a bit smaller and fainter than a typical full moon because it’s a micromoon, the third of three this year. That means it’s the most distant: at or near the farthest point from Earth — known as apogee — along its slightly elliptical path orbiting the Earth. A micromoon is about 6 percent to 7 percent smaller than an average full moon, according to NASA.
If you miss the chance to see this celestial body tonight, don’t worry. The Flower Moon will be out Tuesday and Wednesday nights as well, according to Jackson.
Marianne Mizera can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @MareMizera.
