Nature of the Lake: The Lunatic’s Guide to Moon Watching

Some would say climbing the Smith Mountain Fire Tower at night to witness last month’s supermoon up close was lunatic – a term coined in the 13th century to refer to those whose strange behavior was believed to be affected by the moon. Photo by Kenneth Boone

In response to last month’s supermoon mania, Lake brings you the lowdown on lunar lore

The Moon became a star on Nov. 14 when it achieved “Supermoon” status. “Supermoon” means the Moon and Earth are at their closest point in the Moon’s orbit at the same time that the Moon phase is full. The last time it was as close was Jan. 26, 1948; the next time will be Nov. 25, 2034. All that combined to make the November Supermoon a big deal.