Lunar Standstill

In June this year I had the privilege of witnessing the full moon lunar standstill from Avebury in Wiltshire. The lunar standstill is a rare event happening only every 18.5 years. It was believed to be sacred by many of the ancient peoples of the British Isles and possibly in other parts of the world as well.

In July I also travelled to Callanish on the Isle of Lewis, a site off the far north of Scotland that is believed to have been based around this rare event. You can see from the image on the right how large and low the moon appeared.

Now tonight the lowest visible minimum lunar standstill is happening at 20:50, while not a full moon, this will be a beautiful sight and a sacred moment dating back thousands of years.

Copyright © 2006 Graham E. Nicholls. All rights reserved.