Dear Tom,
I know the sun rise/set travels north and south depending on the time of year, but what about the moon?
Kevin Hudson, Oak Lawn
Dear Kevin,
The moon also exhibits a north/south displacement based on the time of year on Earth. It’s fairly easy to compute the location in your head at full moon. At that time, the full moon is directly opposite the sun in the sky. It rises in the east when the sun is setting in the west. As a result, the full moon is at about the same spot in the sky as the sun six months past or hence. Around the winter solstice, the moon rises/sets farther north and climbs higher in the sky than at any other time of year. If it’s clear this Jan. 13 or 14, notice how far north of due east the moon rises and its dominance in the sky at its midnight zenith–over 74 degrees north of the horizon during this full moon. If there’s fresh snow cover, the effect will be dazzling.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
