Photo Of The Day: December 14, 2008

The full moon that rose Thursday night was the last before the winter solstice, which makes it the Long Night Moon. Some also call it the Moon Before Yule. But it was noteworthy for another reason: this full moon was the closest it has come to earth in 15 years, and the nearest until 2016. It was 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than your run-of-the-mill full moon. Here in New Jersey, we were treated to clouds all night Thursday, so I missed it except for some slices of it between cloud layers. But last night it came out in full force, and despite being "off" by a day, was as stellar as could be. For more pictures of the moon, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.