What to Know
- Major Standstill Northern Moonrise
- A Dec. 15 livestream, presented by Griffith Observatory, will explain the event
- The event occurs "every 18.6 years"; tune into the informative livestream from 5:03 to 5:38 p.m. to learn about this rare occurrence
Fans of wintertime astronomical events — or "astrognomies," you might call them, if you're feeling a little cutesy and flush with holiday spirit — can become understandably entranced with a few special sky events.
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WATCH HEREThe solstice is a major player in this realm, of course — winter kicks off in the Northern Hemisphere in the early morning hours of Dec. 21, 2024 — and the Geminids meteor showers have their devoted fandom (true, they're doing their spectacular thing in late fall, technically, but we'll count them as a cold-weather favorite).
But there's something rather special on the December 2024 calendar and it has a moniker to remember: the Major Standstill Northern Moonrise.
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SIGN UP Moon mavens know that standing still isn't something that their favorite lunar satellite does; after all, that glorious, crater-laden orb has been expertly orbiting our planet for eons.
Rather, the astronomical occurrence, which circles back around every 18 years plus a handful of months, is about something quite different.
Griffith Observatory will explain the "standstill" event during a Dec. 15 livestream, a live look at the rising moon which begins in the early evening (as you might expect). Set your alarm to 5:03 p.m., then settle in for some fascinating moon facts.
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The basics are up on the observatory's site, but "basics" shouldn't undersell how intriguing this event truly is.
"Every 18.6 years, our Moon reaches the extremes of its orbit around the Earth," shared the observatory.
"We observe this as the Moon rises and sets at its most northerly and southerly positions on the horizon."
"On the evening of December 15, we will observe the Moon rising as far to the north as it ever does. This happens during the Major Lunar Standstill."
This has been a scintillating "season" of standstill moonrises and moonsets; Griffith Observatory site has more information about these look-up-in-wonder happenings.
