'BIGGEST' moon in 19 years to rise Saturday
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- Created on Friday, 18 March 2011 16:39
- Written by Dena Rosenberry
Prepare to get mooned in a big way Saturday night.
The "largest" full moon in 19 years will shine down on us.
If the skies cooperate, we'll see something known as a super "perigee moon."
As explained in this NASA Science News report, the moon orbits earth in an elliptical, oval-shaped pattern. During the shorter phase of its orbit, at perigee, the moon is roughly 31,000 miles closer to Earth than during its longer, more distant phase (apogee).
Accordingly, the moon at perigee looks approximately 14% larger and 30% brighter than at apogee.
See a video and read more about the Super Moon at REI's website.
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