A rare astronomical event that only happens every 18 years is happening again.
It’s called the great lunar standstill – and some believe it may even be linked to Stonehenge.
WHAT IS THE LUNAR STATE?
The Great Lunar Stagnation is an event that occurs every 18.6 years.
Taking place over the course of several months, we see the Moon take a more dramatic path sky.
The reasons are very complicated, but ultimately it is related to the angle between the Moon and the celestial equator (its declination).
Normally, the Moon rises and sets in roughly the same place.
But during the moon’s great standstill, its inclination causes a greater fluctuation, and the moon rises further north and south.
In practice, this means that the Moon will move differently than normal.
The points on the horizon where the Moon rises and sets are the most northerly and most southerly during the great lunar solstice.
This means we see steeper angles, with the Moon appearing to rise much higher on some nights – and peaking lower on others.
In fact, the highest and lowest points of the Moon’s position in the sky are more extreme than they would normally be.
WHEN TO SEE THE LUNAR DETERMINATION
A major standstill on the moon is not something that happens in one day, but happens over time.
The last time we saw major stagnation was in 2006.
The next one begins in 2024 when the Moon’s declination becomes more extreme.
The moon – our nearest neighbor explained
Here’s what you need to know…
- The moon is a natural satellite – a space body that orbits a planet
- It is the only natural satellite of Earth and is the fifth largest in the solar system
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles in diameter, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
- Temperatures on the moon range from minus 173 degrees Celsius to 260 degrees Celsius
- Experts assumed the Moon was another planet until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory of our solar system in 1543.
- It was finally placed in a “class” after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610
- The Moon is believed to have formed about 4.51 billion years ago
- The strength of its gravitational field is about one sixth of Earth’s gravity
- The Earth and Moon have “synchronous rotation” which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase “dark side of the Moon”
- The Moon’s surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective earth
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear similar in size in the sky because the Sun is 400 times larger and beyond
- The first spacecraft reached the Moon in 1959 as part of the Soviet Union’s Lunar Program
- The first manned orbital mission was NASA’s Apollo 8 in 1968
- And the first man landing on the moon was in 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 mission
For keen sky watchers, the standoff is expected to be most extreme in late 2024 to early 2025.
The best chance to see the effects is during full moons.
Here is a list of upcoming full moons:
- June 21, 2024
- July 21, 2024
- August 19, 2024
- September 17, 2024
- October 17, 2024
- November 15, 2024
- December 15, 2024
- January 13, 2025
- February 12, 2025
- March 14, 2025
- April 12, 2025
- May 12, 2025
- June 11, 2025
- July 10, 2025
- August 9, 2025
- September 7, 2025
- October 6, 2025
- November 4, 2025
- December 4, 2025
There is thought to have been at least one major stopover during Stonehenge’s early phase, potentially affecting the design and purpose of the monument.
English heritage
The best time to see the effects of the shutdown will be around the equinoxes in September 2024 and March 2025.
Equinoxes are when the lengths of days and nights are roughly equal.
If you regularly observe the Moon from the same location, you should notice significant changes in how it appears to move across the sky over the course of weeks and months.
The upcoming equinoxes are expected to be on September 22, 2024 and March 20, 2025.
HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STONEHENGE?
Some experts believe that the mysterious Stonehenge monument in England is related to the great lunar eclipses.
“There is thought to have been at least one major stopover during the early phase of Stonehenge, potentially influencing the design and purpose of the monument,” explains English Heritage.
The organization continues: “At great lunar stasis, the moon rises and sets at a point on the horizon where the sun never reaches.
“For people who track the sun’s movement throughout the year – such as farming communities that use horizontal calendars for planting and harvesting – the appearance of the moon further north and south than the extremes of the sun can be very significant.”
“Perhaps this was the moment when the moon deity was stronger than the sun deity.
“A major lunar standstill, which would occur approximately every 19 years, would be a generational event—referred to in stories passed down orally from one generation to the next.”
English Heritage will also be streaming the southernmost moonrise from Stonehenge live on their YouTube channel on 21 June.