Like this:

At 2:00 a.m. ET on August 25, the moon will be at apogee, the farthest it will get from Earth as the natural satellite travels in its egg-shaped orbit around our planet. At its closest, the moon is said to be at perigee.

Perigee and apogee each happen about once a month. But the moon wobbles as it orbits, which means its exact distance at those events varies over the year. The moon’s phase can also be different during each apogee and perigee.

The moon officially turns full at 1:05 p.m. ET today. The August full moon is sometimes called the sturgeon moon or the green corn moon, according to Native American tradition. (source)

So, the full moon is not full-at least not until later on tonight.  Who knew?  It has looked full to me since yesterday evening.  Not that it honestly matters.  I have viewed the full moon as an indication that a cycle of life has been completed. A practice that I can trace to the ways of my maternal grandmother.

One of my favorite moon sightings actually involves the crescent moon.  We were riding home one evening from dropping a friend off after choir rehearsal.  It was usually quiet that evening.  I happen to look up in the sky and what I saw took my breath away.  The moon was in a crescent shape.  At the bottom tip there was a thin straight line of  light. On the end of that thin line was Venus.  Hanging like it was a rare ruby.  We pulled over to the side of highway and got out to take a look.  It was spectacular!  There is a scientific term for this event. I am just too lazy to look it up tonight. 

That imagery is still crystal clear within my memories.  I have a newspaper clipping that someone sent to me with the picture of this particular moon.  We weren’t the only people who stopped to take a good look at the heavens that night.  I have not seen anything like it since then.  Perhaps I will have the opportunity during my lifetime to see it happen again.  

I have begun a new job.  I am pleased with the employer that selected me.  I am looking forward to having a good school year.  After spending months searching and working myself out of mourning over my dad, it feels good to be headed back into the workforce.

I am going to have to work on getting to bed at a decent hour. Fortunately my commute to work is short.  I can walk to my site in about a half an hour.  Actually I could be there sooner.  But when I walk to walk I’m not rushing to get there. I like to stroll in and get my head trip ready for the day.  I am going to have to be up by 6:30 to be out on time. I have allowed myself to be the true nocturnal individual that I am.  Which is not a bad thing when I can sleep in.  I am working on adjusting my go to bed time.  I figure that by the end of September I will be in bed by midnight.  Maybe.

I always have difficulties going to sleep during the nights of the full moon. I am about to go soak in the tub and wind myself down some more.  I plan to listen to an audio disk while I soak.  That always helps me to wind down.  I’m looking forward to pleasant dreams.

 

Advertisement