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Record-setting full moon stars in tonight's sky
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Tonight's full moon will set records, according to astronomers. The moon is in perigee, or its closest point to Earth.
NASA provided the image above, noting "In 2004, Greek amateur astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis photographed an apogee moon and a perigee moon, and set the images side by side to show the difference."
Sky and Telescope said that this moon is the largest since 1993 (apparently by just a rabbit's whisker, according to the old Cherokee legends that say a rabbit lives in the moon). Usually the apogee to perigee cycle recurs every eight years.
Science @ NASA explains the phenomena:
The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other: diagram. In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called "apogee" (far away) and "perigee" (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008. Will the closer-at-hand moon affect tides and the sea? You betcha--but not enough to make any real difference, according to NOAA.
The full moon will be an appropriate backdrop as the newly-arrived space shuttle Endeavour moves into the mate-demate device for removal from its carrier aircraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour was launched on a full harvest moon.
Although there'll be some great photo opportunities tonight, the moon's starring role means that the Geminid meteor shower will definitely be tonight's understudy. The annual meteor event peaks on Dec. 13 and 14, so you'll get two more chances to see anywhere from 100 meteors per hour (in darkest skies) to about 20 meteors per hour.
The moon's dramatic role tonight follows a beautiful conjunction of the moon, Jupiter and Venus on Dec. 1. The Examiner has put together an awesome slide show of "the celestial love triangle," as well as other great space images.
The moon has long been an object of mystery and romance, outside of scientific circles. Many believe that even a normal full moon increases mental instabilities, crime, and oh yes--is the perfect time for werewolves and other denizens of the folklore of the night. If you want to keep up with the paranormal, check out Melissa Alvarez, Paranormal Examiner.
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