Melting Snow Moon 001

Some friends and I were at Split Rock on Tuesday evening to photograph the full moon. As soon as it rose, the moon appeared as though it was melting back into Lake Superior.

MeltingSnowMoon001

Melting Snow Moon 002

According to Spaceweather.com, folklore describes this natural special effect as the “Snow Moon.” The melting moon is a mirage, caused by sun-warmed air over Lake Superior’s surface. The temperature profile turned Earth’s atmosphere into a lens, refracting the rays of the rising moon and distorting the lunar disk. You can see an inverted moon beneath the “real” one.

MeltingSnowMoon002

Moonrise Over Split Rock

MoonriseOverSplitRock

Moonset Over Grand Marais

The next morning I drove into Grand Marais to watch the moon set behind the lighthouse. Lake Superior was more active with lots of waves crashing into the shoreline.

MoonsetOverGrandMarais