Cold hands, warm heart. Still waters run deep. Feed a cold, starve a fever. The list of pithy old sayings goes on and on. But here’s a new one for you: long Sun, short Moon. It means that the full Moon does the opposite of what the Sun does. So when the Sun is in the sky for a long time, the full Moon makes itself scarce.

And that’s the case tonight. The full Moon of June has many names, including Flower, Strawberry, and Honey Moon. But it’s also known as the Short-Night Moon. That’s because it’s in view for less time than any other full Moon of the year.

From the northern hemisphere, the Sun passes highest across the sky at this time of year, and remains in view longest.

But because of the trail they follow, the Sun and the full Moon are like opposite ends of a seesaw. When one is up, the other is down. So right now, the full Moon passes low across the sky. And it rises around sunset and sets around sunrise.

The difference is greater as you go farther north. From Miami, the Sun will be above the horizon for almost 14 hours today, with the Moon popping into view for less than 10 and a half hours. From Duluth, Minnesota, it’s almost 16 hours versus less than eight hours. And from Anchorage, the Sun graces the sky for 19 hours, with the Moon showing up for a stingy hour and a half – an especially short appearance for the Short-Night Moon.

More about night and day tomorrow.

Script by Damond Benningfield