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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Strawberry Moon graces Oman skies

A person watches the Strawberry Moon rise, as seen from Hampstead Heath, in London. — Reuters
A person watches the Strawberry Moon rise, as seen from Hampstead Heath, in London. — Reuters
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A full Strawberry Moon graced Oman and some parts of Europe and America on Wednesday, coupled with a rare phenomenon not seen in almost 20 years.


Caused by an event known as a 'major lunar standstill', Wednesday night marked the peak of the full Moon.


According to Earth Sky, this was the lowest full moon in decades, "because we are in the midst of a major lunar standstill." But it also depends on which hemisphere one is at.


They explained that as the inclination of the moon's orbit, which undergoes an 18.6-year cycle and the cycle happens because the moon's orbit is being slowly 'dragged around'.


According to the Earth Sky, the Strawberry Moon was also near the bright star, red Antares, 'Heart of the Scorpion in the constellation Scorpius'.


The name Strawberry Moon was associated with the short harvesting season and was named by the indigenous Americans. In Europe, however, it is also known as Honey Moon and Mead Moon.


Some prefer to be near the sea to see the moon but for Ahmed al Mahrouqi, the best place to be is in the desert.


"The best way to watch the full moon is to be in the desert. During the day time, the temperature could be in mid 40s but by night it could come down to 25 degrees Celsius. Even better, take the drive to Salalah on full moon night because it is an exceptional experience."


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