Explanation:
The Moon was full this month on June 22nd, only a day after
the northern hemisphere's summer solstice.
Since this solstice
marked
the northernmost point of
the Sun's annual motion through planet
Earth's sky, the full
Moon rising near the ecliptic plane
opposite the Sun was
at its farthest south for the year.
Only a month earlier, on May 23rd, astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis
recorded
this picture of another southerly full Moon
rising above Cape Sounion, Greece.
The twenty-four hundred year old
Temple
of Poseidon lies in the foreground,
also visible to sailors on
the Aegean Sea.
In this well-planned, single exposure, a long telephoto lens
makes the Moon loom large, but even without
optical aid casual skygazers often find
the
full Moon looking astonishingly large when seen near the horizon.
That powerful visual effect is known as
the Moon Illusion.
