Super Moon : biggest full moon in almost 20 years - Tonight.

courtesy of Utah Skies website

NASA says: 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. It is 14% bigger than usual and 30% brighter than lesser Moons.  Go outside tonight and soak up some moonlight. There's plenty of it.

"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."

Perigee Moon behind Alps by Vincent Jacques

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. A perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides."

The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. This is the 'moon illusion' when it looks huge.....For reasons not fully understood, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects.


On March 19th, The orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so close that you may feel like you could almost touch it.

But what the scientists don't say is that this super full moon is happening almost on the Spring Equinox! and that it is in Virgo (the sign of plants).  I wonder what this all means for the earth and our gardens.

I would venture to guess that the spring buds will pop a little earlier this year.

Comments

  1. Indoor FountainsMarch 21, 2011 at 2:43 PM

    I saw it and it was truly epic!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jan JohnsenMarch 22, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    almost eery, right?
    "what a marvelous night for a moondance...."

    ReplyDelete
  3. SATYA LAKSHMIMarch 22, 2011 at 1:22 PM

    superb moon. Natural.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 29, 2011 at 11:44 AM

    That was really a bright moon, I love to stare at it, In fact I sleep on our garden after seeing that super moon.

    Houston Car Wreck Lawyer | Demand Planning | Texas Antelope Hunting

    ReplyDelete

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