As Space.com points out today, the full moon of this week — the last full moon of 2012 — is the longest full moon of the year. That’s why it’s known as the Long Night’s Moon.
It is visible the longest because we are in the midst of the longest nights of the year. The longest night was on Dec. 21, of course, which was the Winter Solstice.
So while it’s a great night for moon-gazing, don’t let tonight’s Long Night’s Moon — combined with your end of the year celebrations or sorrows — excuse any nutty behavior. Howl if you want to but don’t blame it on our satellite. Scroll below for an excellent video from @davidskybrody on why mythologies surrounding lunatic behavior around the full moon are just that. In the meantime, check out this excellent explanation of the moon you’ll see tonight — or are seeing now, depending on where you are — from the always excellent space.com.
And indeed tonight’s full moon will be visible for the longest amount of time … From New York for instance, moon rise on Thursday (Dec. 27) occurred at 4:17 p.m. EST and the moon sets at 7:12 a.m. this morning. So the full moon will indeed be in the sky for a long time: 14 hours and 55 minutes …
Here’s the video explaining and debunking a lot of the mythologies we grow up hearing about full moons in various cultures. But go ahead. Howl if you want to.
Source: Via Space.com, @DavidSkyBrody explains the myths around the full moon and why, if you get crazy tonight, you have no one to point at but yourself. Don’t mistake the finger pointing at the moon for the moon, as the old Buddhist saying goes.
Gina Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of Steve Wozniak’s memoir, iWOZ: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Doing It. (WW Norton, 2005-2012). Follow her @ginasmith888
