MOON

[Cookie]

The moon is very low in the sky at the moment and was as well last night,

any reasons why? its a very redy orange coulour and looks bigger then usall

[Roger J Smith]

The Moon is very low at present because it is at a declination of about 27 S, which means you'll see it lower than the late December sun (23 S). We are currently a couple of days past full moon, and the moon is approaching its transit of the galactic equator, an event I call southern max. Since we are also at a point just past the moon's maximum declination range (when it can reach almost 29 N and S), there are still large departures from the ecliptic plane that take the Moon even further south than its average position which is the ecliptic plane itself.

You will continue to notice this all summer because in June and July the full moon is close to the S Max position so that places the full moon very close to the southern horizon all night at your latitude. In fact, in the Faeroes it would hardly rise at all, just making a brief appearance on the southern horizon at about midnight.

[BLAST FROM THE PAST]

The Moon is very low at present because it is at a declination of about 27 S, which means you'll see it lower than the late December sun (23 S). We are currently a couple of days past full moon, and the moon is approaching its transit of the galactic equator, an event I call southern max. Since we are also at a point just past the moon's maximum declination range (when it can reach almost 29 N and S), there are still large departures from the ecliptic plane that take the Moon even further south than its average position which is the ecliptic plane itself.

You will continue to notice this all summer because in June and July the full moon is close to the S Max position so that places the full moon very close to the southern horizon all night at your latitude. In fact, in the Faeroes it would hardly rise at all, just making a brief appearance on the southern horizon at about midnight.

Roger

Spot on. Spoil sport as i was going to say an iceage was on the horizon

BFTP

[Roger J Smith]

If I go up high enough, Fred, it's on my eastern horizon -- the ice age that is.

Minus 11 and snowing in southern Alberta.

[Cookie]

Thanks roger