> >This was passed along to me, and it must be shared. > >Unique Full Moon December 22! > > > > > > This year will be the first full moon to occur on the winter solstice, > > Dec.22, commonly called the first day of winter. Since a full moon on the > > winter solstice occurred in conjunction with a lunar perigee (point in the > > moon's orbit that is closest to Earth) the moon will appear about 14% > >larger > > than it does at apogee (the point in it's elliptical orbit that is > farthest > > from the Earth). Since the Earth is also several million miles closer to > >the > > sun at this time of the year than in the summer, sunlight striking the > moon > > is about 7% stronger making it brighter. > > > >Also, this will be the closest perigee of the Moon of the year since the > >moon's orbit is constantly deforming. If the weather is clear and there is > a > > > >snow cover where you live, it is believed that even car headlights will be > >superfluous. > > > > On December 21st. 1866 the Lakota Sioux took advantage of this combination > > of occurrences and staged a devastating retaliatory ambush on soldiers in > > the Wyoming Territory. > > > >In laymen's terms it will be a super bright full moon, much more than the > >usual AND it hasn't happened this way for 133 years! > > > >Our ancestors 133 years ago saw this. Our descendants 100 or so years > >from now will see this. But we get to see it in 2 weeks! > > I will be thinking of all my friends and family who will share this moonlight with me around the world. Good tiding to one and all. -- "Bureaucrats need crisis in order to survive. If there isn't a crisis of some kind, someone might decide that a number of positions could be eliminated." Oscagne in _Domes of Fire_ by David Eddings | VikingRose email: tplotz@luna.cas.usf.edu