The coinciding of the several different periodic celestial cycles simultaneously will cause an interesting phenomenon when viewing the position of the full moon, just before the southern hemisphere summer solstice in late 2024.
Specifically, the three celestial cycles are the transit of the moon’s nodes across the equinox points (with specifically the north node approaching 0° Aries), the sun itself approaching the summer solstice point (for the southern hemisphere) at 0° Capricorn, and the monthly opposition of the moon to the sun, all of these culminate at the full moon on the 15th of December 2024.
The first cycle, that of the nodes is imperative. The reason for this is that it will incidentally add an additional 5° of northerly declination to the position of the moon itself in the northern night sky.
As the moon orbits the earth in its monthly cycle, it traces a simple sine wave in relation to the ecliptic of the sun.
The nodes of the moon describe the point of intersection between the ecliptic of the sun and the orbit of the moon about the earth.
These nodes are 180° apart and comprise of a north and south node. The moon’s nodes progress over time around the zodiac in a retrograde fashion and this takes approximately 18.6 years to do so, where they spend about eighteen months in each of the signs.
(From the north node (0°), which is positioned on the ecliptic, the moon starts separating from the ecliptic, moving north till it reaches the northerly “Bendings” (90°), where it is at its maximum distance from the ecliptic in a northerly direction. Having gone so far north as it can go, the moon then begins to travel south, passing over the south node (180°) on the ecliptic, ultimately arriving at the southern “Bendings” (270°). At this point, the moon pivots once again and starts travelling north, till it reaches the north node (0°/360°) once more. Every time the moon orbits the earth in its monthly cycle, it transits the north and south nodes, as well as the Bendings.)
The second cycle of significance is that of the sun and its approach to the southern hemisphere summer solstice point at 0° Capricorn. At this point of the sun’s annual cycle, it is at its most southerly point in the sky.
When this positioning of the sun is combined here with the third and final cycle of significance, namely the monthly full moon lunation, this positions the moon in direct opposition to the sun.
Given that “the full Moon in summer travels the path of the Sun in winter & the full Moon in winter travels the path of the Sun in summer”, this will position the full moon closest to the sun’s southern hemisphere winter solstice point. In effect, the moon will be as far north as it can be during the sun’s annual cycle.
The effect and consequence of these three celestial cycles all coinciding and combined with each other, is to push the moon northwards to its potential limit. The declination of the full moon, when sighted on the night of the 15th of December 2024, will be as far north as it possibly can be in its 18.6-year nodal cycle.
In the southern hemisphere the moon will be very low in the northern sky, while in contrast on the same night in the northern hemisphere, the moon will be at its highest elevation.
Given this regular periodical phenomena, it is curious to reflect upon the meaning and delineation applied specifically to the nodes of the moon, from a tropical astrological perspective within a southern hemisphere context. Maybe this needs some additional thought and conversation applied to it, perhaps?
Nonetheless, given fair weather wherever you are on the night, it will be quite spectacular indeed and well worth looking out for.