Local astronomer spots 'Strawberry Moon' which hasn't been seen for almost 20 years
An avid astronomer has spotted a rare sight - the 'Strawberry Moon' which is a major 'lunar standstill' and won't be seen again until 2043.
Majorie Somerville, who taught physics and ran an astronomy club at Sandbach School many years ago, spotted the low-lying phenomenon near her Rode Heath home.
She said: "It is named because it was said to herald the start of the wild strawberry season and named by Native American indigenous people.
"This year it is extra special as when it rises it is the lowest full moon for decades and this will not happen again until 2043."
The full Strawberry Moon sat very low in the southern sky making it appear much bigger than normal.
Majorie is no stranger to spotting rare astronomical phenomenon. She photographed a rare form of cloud with a Comet Neowise which was so unusual it was used in the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's magazine.
The chance to see the two together is extremely rare and it wasn't until the Rode Heath resident looked closely at the image taken near Mow Cop that she saw spotted the two.
So good was her image, that the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada decided to include it in their magazine.
"Noctilucent clouds are a rare form of cloud thought to be formed from ice crystals and dust from meteors," said Majorie.
"They are only usually visible in summer at high latitudes. Comet Neowise was the brightest comet seen in the Northern Hemisphere for nearly a quarter of a century.
"Its closest approach to Earth was in June 2020. It brightened in July and my photograph was taken on July 11th at around 2.30 am from the hills overlooking the Cheshire Plain."
Majorie has loved astronomy all her life. She has seven telescopes dotted around her home.
When her children were babies, she would go outside with a telescope after getting up in the night to feed them and look up at the sky.
Majorie has a life-size cut out of Neil Armstrong and a framed piece of the foil from the Apollo 11 command module.
Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon on July 20th, 1969, when he stepped out of the Apollo 11 lunar module in the Sea of Tranquility.
"I've always been fascinated by moon landings and remember watching it in 1969," said Majorie.
"There's something very special about the sky and astronomy. I've always been fascinated by it."
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