Something will be different about the moon in July — will Nigerians see it?
The night of July 21 to 22 promises to be extremely interesting, and not only for astronomy enthusiasts.
According to Karol Wójcicki, a well-known astronomy populariser and photographer, you will be able to observe a phenomenon in the sky that was last so spectacular 15 years ago.
The full moon always attracts the attention of observers, but on the upcoming night, it will look particularly impressive.
"At exactly 03.08, the moon will be full. The phenomenon will occur just over 24 hours after the summer solstice, making the full moon extremely low. In the north of the country, the moon will be only six degrees above the southern horizon," Wójcicki explained in a post on Facebook.
The main attraction of this phenomenon is the optical illusion that makes the moon appear larger when it is low on the horizon. This time, being only about 6-11 degrees above the horizon (depending on where we are in Poland), it should look really powerful. "It wanders low over trees and houses, so it will seem much larger than usual all night long," added Wójcicki.
However, this is not the only reason why you should spend the night observing the sky. The moon's low position will make it more illuminated than usual, and its colour will become intensely orange.
"This year, not only does the June full moon fall almost exactly on the night of the summer solstice (when the ecliptic is very low at night), but also the so-called ecliptic latitude of the moon on this night will have almost the maximum negative value! This will give us the lowest full moon since 2006," he summed up on the profile.
Although the phenomenon will be visible from anywhere in Poland, it is worth remembering that the further north you go, the lower the moon will be above the horizon. According to Wójcicki, the most beautiful view will be on the Hel Peninsula.
*
This article was originally published on Onet Travel.