Hunter's Moon and the Ascension
I was never interested in astronomy or celestial bodies—or maybe I was interested but never had enough time to really explore it. Or perhaps I wasn't that interested because if I truly had been, I would have read about it online, researching things like galaxies, the moon, and stars. I think I’d conclude this confusion by saying I already had too much on my plate to actually devote time to astronomy. I had too many other interests to really care about these celestial bodies.
But these past couple of days have been really different for me. Something's up with the moon here in Karachi. It looked different, lit up differently, and felt different. In fact, just yesterday, while I was riding my bike back from the gym, I could hardly focus on the road ahead because I kept looking at the moon.
I wanted to ask someone about it but couldn't find anyone around me who, in my opinion, would have much knowledge on the subject, so I decided to post about it on Steemit.
After some research, I learned that this phenomenon is called the Hunter's Moon, which usually occurs around October. @event-horizon would probably know more about it than any of us here, as I have read some of her blogs on the topic.
So what exactly is a Hunter's moon?
The Hunter's Moon is the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon, typically appearing in October. It’s named so because, in the past, it signaled a time for hunters to gather food and prepare for the upcoming winter. The bright moonlight made it easier for them to hunt game at night, as animals were more visible. The Hunter's Moon is usually larger and more orange in appearance, as it rises lower in the sky. This phenomenon occurs because the moon is close to the horizon, and its light passes through more of the Earth’s atmosphere, scattering blue light and making it appear red or orange.
^ This is what I found on the internet about the phenomenon. I learned that it usually occurs in October. It’s quite surprising for me to notice this moon so late in my life, even though it’s clear that this phenomenon happens every year.
Then I wondered why I noticed the moon this time, and I think I knew the answer. I’ve been reading about “The Ascension” lately. The Ascension is the authentic story of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his journey to the heavens, to a different dimension.
In Arabic, this story is called "Al Isra wal Mairaj," where "Al Isra" refers to the earthly journey where the Prophet Muhammad traveled from Makkah to Jerusalem, and "Mairaj" is the ascension where he was taken from Jerusalem to the heavens.
This story particularly describes phenomena of the outer world, which were only discovered a few hundred years ago, whereas the Quran and the Ahadith informed us about these things hundreds and thousands of years ago.
This story has been keeping me up at night lately, and then It's not a coincidence that Icame across this moon in Karachi.
It's actually mind-boggling. I feel uneasy constantly looking at the moon. Do you get me? Do you understand what I’m feeling at this moment? It’s a feeling of extreme uneasiness. I’ve come to the realization that, in this world, I don’t matter. And in this universe, this world doesn’t matter. The universe, the moon, the sun, the galaxies—all of these things are absolutely nothing compared to what’s out there.
There are creations beyond our knowledge. There are creatures somewhere out there that aren’t like animals as we know them but are still animals in a sense. There are hundreds of thousands of other moons and suns—things my mind cannot even imagine, but I’m certain they exist, and they probably don’t even know I exist.
Just a week ago, I had a bit of arrogance, thinking I was someone with high prestige and significance. But now, I realize I’m even smaller than the smallest ant compared to other creations. I don't mean shit out there.
That's the point: no matter how brilliant or influential we are - we are just a speck of dust in the universe on which absolutely nothing depends in the grand scheme of things. And yet every day we influence the lives of other people, take part and change the course of (small) things...
I'm not an expert in astronomy - have great interest in the subject though.
I totally understand the uneasiness that creeps into you when you pay too much attention to the creations of the world, specially the world outside Earth because it's beyond comprehension after a certain level, no matter how advanced we get.
Speaking of moon, we have around 12 or 13 full moons throughout a year, out of which 3 or 4 are supermoons (closest to the Earth). This year I had a slightly better camera so I photographed moon a lot as if everytime I will see something different. 🤣
You witnessed the brightest moon of 2024 that night. (: