Moonlight on snow - the breathtaking beauty of a full moon in a northern winter.

[scarletwoman]

It's a crystal clear cloudless sky here -- just a bit north of the 45th parallel -- which means it's cold, of course. But not so bad really, not even down to zero. Close enough, though, so that the snow crunches and squeaks under my boots as I walk my dog. Here, in the late hours of the night, I don't need to carry a flashlight to see my way on the path meandering through the trees, the moonlight shining on the snow is so bright.

This is one of my greatest pleasures, the full moon in winter. The silvery blue light so bright that it casts shadows as strong as sunlight, and every track laid in the snow by animal and boot stands out in stark relief.

The arc of each full moon follows the path of the sun at the opposite side of the year. The full moon tonight -- just one & and a half weeks past the winter solstice -- is travelling across the sky at the same height as the sun travels at the same interval past the summer solstice. As high in the sky that the sun is in mid-summer, this is how high in the sky the moon is tonight.

I love the full moon in winter, reflecting on the snow, transforming the landscape into a brilliant silver-drenched otherworld. Happy New Year to you all.

sw