"It's a marvelous night for a moondance."

 "The limits on your enlightenment come not from the age you stopped going to school but from the age you stopped being curious."- Dr.Neil de Grasse Tyson

      Do you ever wonder why we have a moon? What does it do? What would happen to the Earth if our moon disappeared? Why are so many poets, artists and musicians inspired by moonlight? Does the Moon affect our emotions and moods? Can you name all the phases of our Moon? How do lunar cycles effect oceans tides?  Why do wolves and dogs howl at the moon? Where did the word lunatic originate? Sorry, this post won't answer all the above questions but the Moon certainly provokes our inquisitive nature especially when appearing larger, brighter and more touchable than normal. We like it super sized. In fact, "Supermoon" isn't an astronomical term at all but was coined  in the past decade to describe the gigantic appearance of our lone gorgeous satellite.
      Sunday, August 10th, the moon will appear closer to the Earth than any other time in 2014. So be sure to go outside, look up at the night sky with awe and admire what most of us take for granted. Without the Moon, humans wouldn't exist. Winds on our surface would blow at hurricane force. Similar to planet Venus, Earth would  have an uninhabitable dense, toxic atmosphere. According to space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, besides orchestrating our tides, the Moon dictates the length of a day, the rhythm of the seasons and the very stability of our planet. Crucial, practical, reasons our survival depends on the Moon aside, what truly fascinates me is the profound insights garnered by scientists, writer's, philosophers, painters and composers such as Claude Debussy who created the breathtaking Clair de Lune, the French word for "Moonlight" or Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.  This evening balance your scientific knowledge of Moon facts with a marvelous night for a moondance.

     “The moon does not fight. It attacks no one. It does not worry. It does not try to crush others. It keeps to its course, but by its very nature, it gently influences. What other body could pull an entire ocean from shore to shore? The moon is faithful to its nature and its power is never diminished.” 

― Deng Ming-Dao, Everyday Tao: Living with Balance and Harmony