The phase Full Moon is not the best time to make astronomical observations; the light of the moon is bright and exceeds the light of stars. The moon itself is also not optimally observed in this phase; due to the lack of shadows, craters and lunar mountains are difficult to recognize. Nevertheless, one can search for subtle color nuances such as the somewhat greenish Wood's Spot northwest of the bright white crater Aristarchus, as well as for ray systems around pronounced impact craters such as Tycho and Copernicus.

Lunar Eclipse:
The plane in which the moon moves around the earth makes an angle of slightly more than 5° with the ecliptic, the plane in which the earth moves around the sun. The moon is therefore above the plane of the ecliptic for half of an orbit and below it for the other half of an orbit. Only when the full moon is in one of the two intersections of the orbital plane with the plane of the ecliptic (in a so-called node), are the sun and moon in exactly opposite positions relative to the earth. At such a moment, the shadow of the earth falls on the moon. This is a lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses therefore only occur during a full moon.

Tides:
Tidal forces are strongest around the full moon because the moon and sun are aligned. The large amplitude tide that occurs as a result in the days following these lunar phases is called spring tide.