Sunday, March 20, 2011

Super Moon

View from D.C.

If you spent anytime outside last night, you might have noticed that the moon looked extra bright and extra close. And as the father of a son that loves all things involving the moon and outerspace, I made sure he witnessed this event before heading off to bed. 

On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It's a super "perigee moon"--the biggest in almost 20 years"

The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. "I'd say it's worth a look."

Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee): diagram. Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon's orbit. via NASA



View from outside our house Middletown Delaware


St Michael's Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Somerset


New York's East River


Karachi city, Pakistan


East London


Manila, Philippines

NYC

Berlin

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