Check Out The ‘Supermoon’ Tonight

June 23, 2013

The biggest, brightest moon of the year will be visible tonight.

The “supermoon” will be closer to the Earth than at any other time during the year – it will be the closest encounter between the earth and the moon until August 2014. Tonight is the best opportunity to see the larger and brighter than-normal supermoon.

TThe “supermoon” will appear 14 percent larger than normal, but it will not be possible to see the change without special equipment.

“It’s a subtle difference,“ Noah Petro, NASA planetary geologist, told NASA TV. “It really is a reward for people that are looking at the moon quite regularly.”

The moon may appear 30 percent brighter, though this is merely an optical illusion as it looms larger on the horizon next to trees or buildings.

Still, astronomers say that the “supermoon” is worth looking at, and are encouraging people to do so.

“It gets people out there looking at the moon, and might make a few more people aware that there’s interesting stuff going on in the night sky,“ said Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory.

Like in any “supermoon” event, higher tides are forecast, though the increase will not be significant compared to the 11 other full moons of the year.

Scientists say that the phenomenon does not threaten Earth; some people make connections between lunar events and crime or behavior.

“There should be no impact for anybody on Earth,” Petro added. “There should be nothing unusual except maybe for more people staring up at the moon, which should be a wonderful thing.“

Livescience.com has published a number of tips for those who plan to photograph the “supermoon”, including using a tripod to avoid blurry images and a long lens to capture the dazzling lunar display.

“To your camera, the moon is extremely bright, especially against a black background,“ explained photographer Jason Mrachina. “When you’re shooting at night, the relative difference between light and dark is extremely high, so you have to take that into consideration.”

Pictured: A supermoon that occurred May 5, 2012 as seen from Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

6 Responses to “Check Out The ‘Supermoon’ Tonight”

  1. don on June 23rd, 2013 10:21 pm

    Even the “Man in the Moon” gets to show off his big head every once in a while…

  2. greylady on June 23rd, 2013 1:37 pm

    High tides will be higher than usual for two or three days following the “supermoon.” There will be less recession of tidal waters during low tides.

  3. yuuup! on June 23rd, 2013 12:54 pm

    wonder if Lidnsey Marie will have her baby?? love me some 102.7

  4. Jim on June 23rd, 2013 11:59 am

    Careful Chuck, They say that daughters look like their mother’s do as they get older. Hope you got a silver bullet on hand, but seeing how everybody is sold out of regular ammo., I think you may be in trouble !!!!

  5. Lin on June 23rd, 2013 7:18 am

    To take a great picture go to http://photographylife.com/how-to-photograph-moon.
    Good Luck.

  6. Chuck on June 23rd, 2013 6:39 am

    I thought I saw a werewolf last night, big, hairy and not real pretty but turned out to be my mother-in-law walking home from a night out.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Archive