Moon at southernmost point on August 14

Image at top via US Naval Observatory

On August 14, 2016, the moon reaches its southernmost point for the month at 13:05 Universal Time. At this moment, the moon resides at a declination of 18.481^o south of the celestial equator – a projection of the Earth’s equator into outer space. Declination on the sky’s dome is the equivalent of latitude here on Earth.

At its southernmost point on August 14, the moon stands at zenith (straight overhead) at 18^o 29’ south latitude and 115^o 16’ east longitude. That’s about 3^o of latitude to the north of Onslow, Western Australia. Check it out on your globe.

The moon’s southernmost point in its monthly cycle is sometimes called a southern lunar standstill. In contrast, the sun at its southernmost point for the year is called the southern solstice.

The sun’s solstice declination remains fairly constant, residing at nearly 23.4^o south of the celestial equator at each December solstice. However, the moon’s monthly southern standstills vary by about 10^o (from 18.5^o to 28.5^o to 18.5^o) in cycles of 18.6 years.

This year, in 2016, the moon’s monthly southern standstills don’t vary much from a declination of 18.5^o south of the celestial equator. Some 9 years from now, in 2025, the monthly southern standstills will display a maximum declination of around 28.5^o. Then 18 years from now, in 2034, the monthly southern standstills will again exhibit the minimum declination of 18.5^o.

Read more: Monthly lunar standstills 2001 to 2100

Tonight’s waxing gibbous moon appears low in the Northern Hemisphere sky, much like the winter sun, but in the Southern Hemisphere, the moon shines way up high, much like the sun in summer.