November full moon mimics sun's path in May
Image Credit: Ian Cuthbertson
November 12, 2008.
It’s sometimes said that the full moon stays up all night and sleeps in all day.
That’s exactly what the November full moon will do tonight. All full moons rise around sunset and set around sunrise. Tonight’s November full moon – like the full moon at any season – shines from sundown to sunup, and climbs to its highest point in the sky around midnight.
In the northern hemisphere, the November full moon is called the Frosty or Beaver Moon. In the southern hemisphere, where it’s now spring, the November full moon could be called the Flower Moon.
Because the full moon occurs when the moon is most directly opposite the sun for the month, the full moon’s path across the sky mimics that of the sun six months from now. In both the northern and southern hemispheres, the November full moon rises in the east-northeast and sets in the west-northwest – just as the sun does in May. In the northern hemisphere, tonight’s full moon will soar up high – like the springtime sun. But south of the equator, the moon will follow the low path of the late autumn sun.
The full moon shines from dusk till dawn tonight, unless you live north of the Arctic Circle. That far north, the moon mimics the midnight sun, staying out for 24 hours around the clock.
Although tonight’s moon can be seen from anywhere worldwide – except Antarctica – its path in the sky varies, depending on where you live.
Full moon: November 13 at 6:17 Universal Time (0:17 Central Time)
