Super Moon

[Nereus]

Rather than start a new thread I will put this here, as the moon has an affect on the weather.

Moon bigger, brighter

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wo ... -brighter/


If you notice the moon looks different this weekend...that's because it is.

The moon will appear bigger and brighter for the next few days...the biggest in fact for almost 20 years.

It's called a perigee moon when it's closest to earth and its orbit. It's some 31 thousand miles closer than when it's farthest away, meaning it'll look bigger and brighter than it has since 1993.

The next perigee moon isn't until 2029.

But experts are discounting predictions of earthquakes associated with the event.

The moon's orbit is elliptical, and as it follows its path one side of the ellipse, known as perigee, passes about 50,000 kilometres closer than the on the other side - apogee.

A perigee full moon appears around 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than an apogee full moon.

Moonageddon fears put to rest

Geoffrey Wyatt from the Sydney Observatory says the upcoming full moon - which NASA's website says will be of "rare size and beauty" - will rise about 08.00 pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

But it becomes full on Sunday morning at 05.10 am (AEDT), one hour before lunar perigee.

"So, Sunday morning, those people who are up early or getting home super late, look to the west and you'll see the biggest moon for 18 years," Mr Wyatt said.

The last time the full moon was so big and close to Earth was in March 1993.

"You've got two cycles here. You've got 29-and-a-half days between full moons and then you've got 27 and a half days from apogee to apogee," Mr Wyatt said.

"That difference builds up and although you get a perigee every month, to get it at minimum distance takes about 18 years."

Perigee full moons also usually bring extra-high tides, but Daniel Jaksa, co-director of the joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre, says they will probably be a fraction of one per cent higher than normal.

Earthquake predictions

Meanwhile an Auckland-based mathematician known as the "Moonman", Ken Ring, has warned the perigee moon will cause another major earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Mr Ring claims he predicted Christchurch's deadly February 22 quake by studying the moon.

But Mr Wyatt says he would like to see some scientific proof to back the Mr Ring's claims.

"For a few weeks now we've been hearing people talk about 'Moonageddon'," he said.

"It's depressing to hear people saying this sort of thing. There is absolutely no evidence for a causal link between the phases of the moon and earthquake activity.

"It's something you might find in 'Tom's Backyard Mechanic's Book of Celestial Tomfoolery', but you're not going to find that in peer-reviewed journals."

Mr Jaksa agrees.

"You only have to look at the major energy source that's driving the tectonic process and it's not the moon," he said.

"It's the convection currents in the mantle as the Earth tries to cool down from its core outwards that drives plate tectonics."

Mr Wyatt says the claims are a symptom of the human condition.

"People blame things on the alignment of the planets because they want an explanation, but it's not the moon's fault," he said.

[sandman67]

Just found out that tonights full moon is in fact a Super Moon - thanks to the eliptical orbit thing tonights full moon is closer than usual which means it should be a whopping 14% "bigger" in the sky than usual.

Time to get those cameras and telescopes out lunar fans!

[Nereus]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10540&start=370#p206569

[Big Boy]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10540&start=370#p206569

Nereus, on this occassion I think sandman is correct, and it does deserve to be in a dedicated thread. I will move your post on the moon into this thread.

[Arcadian]

Oh no! Watch out for all the looney posts tomorrow

[pharvey]

Looks about the same to me........ f***ing pollution gives a visibility of around 10m looking up!!

[PeteC]

I'm sitting here looking at it now and it's no bigger than any other full moon, just a bit brighter. In fact, the one we get on Loy Kratong seems bigger than this to me, and nicer with its usual orange tint that time of year. Pete

[Big Boy]

I've just been outside to check it out here in the UK. I looked, and thought it might be a 'little' bigger, but then started wondering if it was just auto suggestion. I've come to the conclusion it's a wind up. Certainly nothing super about this moon.

[PeteC]

Now, this is a big moon! Pete

[Big Boy]

That's more like the moon I was expecting to see. Unfortunately I missed the rising of the moon tonight, which is when it normally appears to be at its largest.

[PeteC]

Here we are at 0515 hours, the time I think I read it is supposed to look the largest. It is a bit larger than at 0400, and a bit more orange in colour. Nothing spectacular, but pretty. Pete

EDIT: One thing it's done is get every dog within 10 miles excited! It sounds like the hounds from hell are coming!

[PeteC]

It's much larger now to me at 0540, just as it's about to go under the western horizon, Quite a site. BB, I think the key to this is too indeed look at it as it's sinking. Pete

[Terry]

Pete

Looking at the moon (or sun for that matter) as they rise and set - they are ALWAYS bigger.

I think that it's due to the earth's atmosphere distorting the image.

It's fairly well known that fish have a tendency to feed at moonrise and moonset (as well as sunrise & sunset). So our near neighbour has some pretty strange effects on or planet.

As for Moonageddon and howling dogs - there might be alcohol in the equation there.........

[Nereus]

I've just been outside to check it out here in the UK. I looked, and thought it might be a 'little' bigger, but then started wondering if it was just auto suggestion. I've come to the conclusion it's a wind up. Certainly nothing super about this moon.

If it is a wind up there sure is a lot of people around the World taken in by it, including the UK.
.....................................................................

'Super moon' lights up night sky across the world

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wo ... night-sky/

An unusually big 'super moon' lit up the sky on Saturday, offering a spectacular visual treat to enthusiastic audience of sky-gazers across the world.

The lunar phenomenon brought the moon closest to the earth in 18 years, becoming the biggest and brightest full moon of the year.

The 'super moon', also known as a lunar perigree, occurs when a full moon coincides with it being the closest point in its orbit to Earth.

The moon was around 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than the other full moons, according to the Nehru Planetarium in India, where many enjoyed the celestial spectacle on Saturday night.

In the UK, the giant moon looked spectacular from urban areas but media reports say many amateur astronomers headed for the countryside to view it against the hills.

Scientists say the moon was only 3,56,577 km away from earth and that full moons coinciding with the moon's closest point to the earth happen after every one year, one month and 18 days.

The phenomenon occurred earlier in 1955, 1974, 1992 and 2005.

Scientists also dismissed reports that a correlation existed between the moon and earthquakes, saying the data for the past 100 years and more showed no connection.

The term ‘super moon' was first coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.

He defined it as a situation in which the moon is slightly closer to the earth on its orbit than the average, which is 90 per cent or more of its closest orbit, and the moon is a full or new moon.

[Big Boy]

All that I was saying is that sat high in the night sky it looked the same as any other full moon. I did clarify further on in the thread that I had missed the rising of the moon - the time I had seen 'super' moons previously.