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Winter is unquestionably the best season - for skiing. And for full moons.
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We're lucky enough to have winters because the earth's plane of rotation is tilted relative
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to its orbit. This means that when part of the earth is tilted towards the sun, the sun
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stays in the sky for a longer amount of time each day, and it's warm out. Summer! Of course,
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when that part of the earth is tilted away from the sun, the sun is lower in the sky
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and doesn't stay up as long. This might make winter darker, but you can think of it as
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bonus time pointing towards interstellar space! And, as I said before, winter has the best
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full moons.
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The moon is new when it's on the same side of the earth as the sun, and it doesn't reflect
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any light on us. This also means the new moon generally mirrors the sun on its journey across
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the sky - it more or less rises and sets with the sun and follows a similar path. On the
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other hand, the moon is full when it's on the opposite side of the earth from the sun,
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its whole face reflecting the sun's light back at us.
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Because of this opposite position, a full moon is only ever up at night, rising at sunset
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and setting at sunrise, and it consequently also behaves the way the sun does in the opposite
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season. When a part of the earth is tilted towards the full moon, it's tilted away from
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the sun - and vice versa. So a summer full moon is like a winter sun - only appearing
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for a few hours and staying close to the horizon. But a winter full moon is like a summer sun
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- it's up for a long time and takes a high path through the sky. In the darkest months,
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the moon, at least when it's full, gives us long, beautifully lit nights. Combined with
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a quiet blanket of snow and the shimmering aurora, how can you not love winter?