20 March 2011

Super Perigee Full Moon - 19 March 2011

Last night we had what NASA called "a full Moon of rare size and beauty". It was what is known as a "super perigee moon"--and it was the biggest one we have seen in almost 20 years. March of 1993 was the last time this occurred. Full moons appear to change 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). Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than moons on the apogee side of the orbit. Last night's full moon occurred less than one hour away from perigee--a near-perfect viewing coincidence.

The Guy and I were out at the farm yesterday and stayed late so that we could observe this momentous event. It was absolutely gorgeous! I was trying out my new little Nikon Coolpix P9000, so there is not a lot of detail in the moon face, but here are a few photos.









Happy skywatching!
namasté,
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Super moon was "super",thanks for sharing the photo's.So happy we could see this wonder.
~Jo
LazyonLoblolly

Southerncook said...

Becky, I am so glad you captured that unusual "happening". I was in the city and went outside but unfortunately the moon did not rise above the trees until around 10:00. Boooooooo. Needless to say I did not get any pics probably because I was too tired. Your pics are just gorgeous and I so enjoyed them. When I finally did see this spectacular moon the thoughts running through my head were, "Why oh why aren't we at the farm???"

Carolyn

Lottie said...

That WAS a beautiful moon!

Anonymous said...

I'm crazy about all your lobster accessories. Living in Maine part of the year, we eat lots of lobster, and I always have an eye out for new table decor. I am so gald you paid me a visit.

Anonymous said...

The super moon was gorgeous!