A Strawberry Moon
Image Credit &
Copyright:
Göran Strand
June's Full Moon (full phase on June 13, 0411 UT) is
traditionally known
as the Strawberry Moon or Rose Moon.
Of course those names might also describe the
appearance of this Full Moon, rising last month
over the small Swedish village of Marieby.
The Moon looks large in the image because the scene was
captured with a long focal length lens from a place
about 8 kilometers from the foreground houses.
But just by eye a Full Moon rising, even on
Friday
the 13th, will appear to loom impossibly large
near the horizon.
That effect has long been recognized as
the
Moon Illusion.
Unlike the magnification provided by a telescope or telephoto lens,
the cause
of the Moon illusion is still poorly understood and
not explained
by atmospheric
optical effects, such as scattering and refraction.
Those effects do produce
the Moon's blushing color and ragged edge also seen
in the photograph.