Living with the Stars

  Today's lunar eclipse is also a Full Moon, and it is happening in the zodiac sign of Scorpio. Full Moons occur when the Sun is opposite the Moon and therefore we can surmise that  Sun is currently transiting the sign of Taurus. Hence, the sun throws all its light onto the moon, which then reflects it to Earth. Enter the Moon's Nodes: This is where the Moon's orbital path crosses the ecliptic (the equator projected out into space).  A full moon elipse can only occur when the Moon is within 15 degrees of the lunar nodes. If it is exactly on the nodal point, then the eclipse is a total one.  Added to that is the fact that the Moon's orbital path is not circular, but elliptical. This means that there are times when the Moon is closer to Earth than at other times. Today is such a day - so apart from a total Full Moon eclipse, this Full Moon is also at perigee (closer to Earth) and therefore will appear bigger. (image credit:Nasa) A whole lot has been written about solar...