Super Moon Lights Up Summer Sky

Super Moon – Photo by Scott Johnson, Madison J. Photography www.madisonjphotography.com

Those that were watching the evening sky got a real treat on June 23, 2013, as the Super Moon lit up the night. During a Super Moon, the Moon is in the full moon cycle and is actually closer to earth, making it appear around 8% closer than other full moons. The annual occurrence of a Super Moon is a special and watched for treat, however this year the Super Moon is coinciding with the Summer Solstice and that makes Sunday’s Super Moon all that more Super, as it only happens every 14 years. Moon watchers will want to mark their calendar for next year’s Super Moon, which will arrive on August 10, 2014 and will be even larger looking than this year’s Super Moon, due to the proximity of the moon to the earth. Though Super Moons have long been the source of superstition, there is no evidence to support many of the claims that have been attributed to the Super Moon. Earthquakes and flooding are not more likely during a Super Moon because the gravitational pull is only slightly increased during a big moon event and there is no documented evidence that the Super Moon causes an increase in cases of strange behavior and mental illness, though some health care professionals and emergency personnel contend that Super Moon Madness arrives like clockwork with every Super Moon.