Have you ever seen the full moon rise? This colorful
image was photographed last weekend in
Sicily, just outside the town of
Nicosia, in Italy. It is a composite photograph that shows the
Moon rising as the sky turns darker. Lower clouds are reflecting the colors of antitwilight, while ash and gas from
Mount Etna are seen higher in the background. The pink band lower in the sky is called the
Belt of Venus. During a full moon, the Moon and the
Sun are in opposition in the sky: the moon rises as the sun sets. The
lunar phase cycle lasts approximately 29.5 days (but the Moon takes approximately 27 days to orbit the Earth). In some cultures of the Northern Hemisphere, the September full moon is called the
Harvest Moon.
Does your culture have a special name for it? (A
full moon by any other name would shine as bright.)