by Bonnie Moss

Created on: December 10, 2008

Do you see the moon following you as you stroll under a moonlit sky ?

The moon casts a cool brightness, quiet, mysterious and at times mystical. Some connect the moon to the subconscious, especially a full moon. Some people seem to be affected by the full moon. They experience mood swings.

To this day, farmers and gardeners believe that during a new moon, it is the best time to plant, a wisdom passed on through the ages. The moon dances with the natural cycles, it follows the rhythm of the seasons. Sitting by a campfire on a moonlight night can leave pleasant memories of the good times.

Gazing at the moon can be inspirational. It encourages the mind to wander far and wide. It can transport one to a world of illusion, away from reality. Lovers can gaze at the moon and be completely enveloped in love.

The brightness of the moon is not like the sun, where the whole world is lit up. The moon casts shadows in its brightness, shadows that lurk around the corners, before you, behind you, and beside you.

Blue Moon (ref NASA )

Blue moon refers to the second full moon in a calendar month. There is usually one full moon in a month. Full moon come every 29 days, some months have 30 or 31 days, which make it possible to have two full moons in a month. Last July 2004 , there was a blue moon.

There are other instances where a blue moon can occur, as in the Krakatoa eruption, it was noted that the volcanic ash thrown into the atmosphere caused blue coloration of the moon.

Harvest Moon ( ref Keith Cooley )

It is a full moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. It is claimed that the harvest moon shines brighter and more golden than normal full moons. This is important for farmers in the northern hemisphere. In Autumn, the time between moonrise on successive nights is shorter so there is little darkness between sunset and moonrise.

Hunter's Moon
The moon following the harvest moon is called the Hunter's Moon. This similar phenomena is observed in the Southern hemisphere at the Spring Equinox which occurs about March 21st.

Facts about the Moon: (ref moonconnections.com )

The moon is not a planet, but a satellite of the Earth. Only 59% of the moon's surface is visible from Earth. The moon rotates at 10 miles/hour, compared to earth's rotation at 1000 miles /hour. It is a quarter the size of the earth.

From the Earth, we always see the same side of the moon, the other side is always hidden. The dark spots we see are craters filled with basalt which is a very dense material. It has no magnetic field. It has no water nor wind.

The moon is the only extra terrestial body ever visited by man. The first spacecraft that sent back pictures of the moon was Luna 3, built by the Soviet Union in October

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