Look up tonight for a spectacular treat in the sky

cnredd · #1 (**permalink**) 12-12-2008, 12:00 PM

Quote:

If the full moon tonight looks unusually large, it is not your imagination – it is the biggest and brightest full moon to be seen for 15 years.

Each month the Moon makes a full orbit around the Earth in a slightly oval-shaped path, and tonight it will swing by the Earth at its closest distance, or perigee. It will pass by 356,613km (221,595 miles) away, which is about 28,000km closer than average.

The unusual feature of tonight is that the perigee also coincides with a full moon, which will make it appear 14 per cent bigger and some 30 per cent brighter than most full moons this year – so long as the clouds hold off from blocking the view.

I wonder if this means crazy people will be even crazier tonight...

Spencer Collins · #2 (**permalink**) 12-12-2008, 12:39 PM

My wife says..thanks for the warning. She's a charge nurse in a nursing home,it's going to be a wild night tonight..

saltwn · #3 (**permalink**) 12-12-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

Look up tonight for a spectacular treat in the sky

I wonder if this means crazy people will be even crazier tonight...

Yes.

Mikeyy · #4 (**permalink**) 12-12-2008, 06:21 PM

I headed out for a hike with my dog at a little before six this morning and I was impressed by how large and bright the moon was. Coyotes were howling. It was so bright I could see really well. And I was way out in the hills. Its pretty cool.

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Spencer Collins