June 28, 2013
The constellations may be old, but the person celebrating beneath them is gloriously new by cosmic standards.
A Super Moon's Halo
Birthday · June 28, 2013
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APOD published June 28, 2013. Credit: Luis Argerich. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
A Full Perigee Moon rose as the Sun set last Sunday. At its closest to Earth it was, by just a bit, the year's brightest and largest Full Moon also known as a Super Moon. Seen from Punta Piedras, Argentina and the mouth of the Rio de La Plata, near Buenos Aires, the Super Moon's light created this magnificent circular lunar halo. Still, the size of a lunar halo is determined by the geometry of six sided water ice crystals in planet Earth's high, thin clouds. The crystals deflect the rays of moonlight more strongly through a minimum angle of 22 degrees. So this halo has an inner radius of 22 degrees, just like the halos of the less-than-super moons. Even more common than a Super Moon, beautiful 22 degree halos can be spotted at any time of year.
Image credit: Luis Argerich