Magic in the Heavens, Magic in the Gems...

Have You Viewed the Solstice SuperMoon?

On June 23, the moon will be at its closest distance to Earth for 2013 while in its full phase. As a result, it will appear 8 percent larger and 17 percent brighter than usual—an event widely known as a supermoon.

And making it a bit more special, thanks to coincidental timing, this supermoon will be coming on the heels of the June solstice, which takes place only two days before.

"This kind of celestial geometry repeats roughly every 14 years," said (Adler Planetarium astronomer Mark) Hammergen.

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Magic of the Moonstone

The moonstone is one of the most magical looking gemstones. With its many changing colors and the glow from it that resembles the moon makes it look like it has enchanting powers. The Romans believed that the stone was formed from the frozen moonlight because of the beautiful shimmer that it gives off. The moonstone is quickly related to goddesses; those goddesses include Diana, Hecate, Artemis, Hera, and Selene, the moon goddess herself. In fact, ancient Greeks called the moonstone “Aphroselene” after both Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Selene, the goddess of the moon and it was thought that the best time to use the moonstone was during a full moon to make this gemstone its most powerful. Because of its association to the water, moonstone also has said to have the power to protect those at sea. It was given the name “Traveler’s Stone” due to this and then was also said to protect those who traveled during the night, especially during a new moon. Both Indian and European legends thought that the moonstone would make two people fall passionately in love with each other when the moon is high in the sky and they were both wearing the stone. They also thought that it would bring bitter lovers back together. During the middle ages people believed that if you looked into a moonstone you were able to see the future.

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