Extreme Moon

The photo above shows a rather unusual combination of subjects for southern Wyoming. This was taken during last month’s famous G5 solar storm, where the Aurora Borealis was visible much farther south than usual. At the same time, the young moon was setting noticeably farther north than usual, due to its near extreme northerly declination.

The combination depends on the near coincidence of the solar maximum and the major lunar standstill. Both reach their peaks in 2025, but, like the 2024 cicadas, they run on different cycles and only coincide very occasionally.

Tomorrow’s Full Moon

Tomorrow night’s Full Moon, 21 June 2024, is an interesting one.

Occuring one day after the solstice, due to the clock of our celestial mechanics, the Moon also rises at its own standstill: its extreme southerly declination.

If you compare the direction of tomorrow’s Moonrise vs other dates, you’ll quickly spot that it is farther to the the south than pretty much any other you’ll find. This is because the Moon is at its minimum declination, and also near the time of its extreme of the cyclical variation which occurs over a ~18.6 year period: we’re close to the “ major lunar standstill ”.

For photographers, this means a couple of things:

1. Alignments which may not be possible at times other than the major lunar standstill: the Moon will rise and set farther north or farther south than at any other time in the cycle
2. Juxtapositions which may not otherwise be possible: the Moon will be observed at its extremes of altitude (highest and lowest) as it transits to the South or North

For example, in London, you’ll be able to see the full moon low in the sky hanging above the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, a little above General Wolfe’s head! A rising full moon this far south is an uncommon thing for most latitudes:

Here in Colorado, you’ll be able to juxtapose the Full Moon with the spectacular Lone Eagle Peak, which is best photographed from the north looking south. At most times, the Moon would be far too high in the sky to get it anywhere close to the peak whilst maintaining a reasonable composition, but not tomorrow night:

There will be further “ Extreme Moon ” moments over the next year or so, as we enter the major lunar standstill season. Just as the Sun rises and sets nearly in the same place each day around the solstices, the Moon ‘hangs around’ its extreme declinations for a year and a bit. This spring marked the start of that season.

If you’d like to know more about lunar declination and the major lunar standstill, you can watch a replay our recent webinar “ Extreme Moon ”:

Additionally, we have a help article where you can read about it in more detail.