The Snow Moon has risen.

I just left our building across from the NTU campus -- our last night there, as it happens -- and I was gawking and walking with my head thrown back at the near-full Moon that is riding high in the sky tonight (alongside Orion). It's 20 past 11 p.m. here in Taipei, but my people in Chicago and Seattle (and all of you Canadian readers) are probably just getting up or settling in at work.

So to set the mood for y'all's evening, here's something from Spaceweather.com about what is alternately called the Cold, Long Nights or Snow Moon:

"According to folklore, tonight's full moon is the 'Long Nights Moon,' so-called because it occurs near the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere.

"Tonight's Moon also happens to be the highest-soaring Full Moon in 18 years. As seen from most parts of North America and Europe, it will be above the horizon for more than 15 hours -- a long night indeed." [I didn't know a thing about lunar standstills before I read the article quoted above, so I posted more about them several hours and then several months later.]

I've got Steve Roach's Midnight Moon on full repeat, as is my habit during the Full Moon phase. See you on the darkside.