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Posted

the other half just came into the garage and said the moon is the closest it has been to the earth for 18 years

just had a look with my crappy binoculars - WOW amazing you can see incredible detail on this beautiful clear night

go have a look now  :cool:

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Posted
its behind cloud oop north
Posted
yep is amazing, thought it looked larger than norm...
Posted

QUOTE
yep is amazing, thought it looked larger than norm...

I'm very glad to hear that the moon looks larger than Norm. I know French cooking inclines towards the rich and creamy but I understand he is a man of modest tastes...

Posted

Looked impressive when i was out earlier about twice the size it usually does.

Cleggy thought you were bringing your wing says round here tonight or did i get my wires crossed  :suspect:

Posted

Sorry to burst any bubbles here, but...

The moon is about 4000 miles closer to earth than when it's at it most distant. The Moon is ~250,000 miles way, so it's currently a bit less than 3% closer than when it's at Apogee (furthest away) than now, which is Perigee (closest approach). The difference anyone thinks they can see is all in the mind. Even with an expensive telescope, it is impossible for the human eye to tell the difference between the moon tonight or on any other niight, and remember it's been getting closer for a few weeks now. Surely it would have been noticable last month that it was getting closer.

There is also an optical illusion in play when the moon is close to the horizon that also makes the moon look larger, but that effect is present all the time, not just tonight. As the moon rises the effects of the illusion decrease.

Posted
Looked impressive when i was out earlier about twice the size it usually does.

Cleggy thought you were bringing your wing says round here tonight or did i get my wires crossed  :suspect:

hi m8 - I wondered why you had not text me (you obviousley did not get my text after I had spoke to you)  :down:

Have you got 10 mins tomorrow afternoon? perhaps we can tie it in with a quick ride out if ya fancy it?

I dont mind going cycle wing less  :devil:

Posted
Sorry to burst any bubbles here, but...

The moon is about 4000 miles closer to earth than when it's at it most distant. The Moon is ~250,000 miles way, so it's currently a bit less than 3% closer than when it's at Apogee (furthest away) than now, which is Perigee (closest approach). The difference anyone thinks they can see is all in the mind. Even with an expensive telescope, it is impossible for the human eye to tell the difference between the moon tonight or on any other niight, and remember it's been getting closer for a few weeks now. Surely it would have been noticable last month that it was getting closer.

There is also an optical illusion in play when the moon is close to the horizon that also makes the moon look larger, but that effect is present all the time, not just tonight. As the moon rises the effects of the illusion decrease.

OMG I have just realised I can google too

An auroral and unusually big ‘supermoon' was seen lighting up the sky on Saturday, offering a visual treat to an enthusiastic audience of curious sky-gazers.

The phenomenon was special, as the moon came closest to the earth in 18 years, becoming the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. The moon was around 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than the other full moons, Nehru Planetarium Director N. Rathnasree said.

“The ‘supermoon' is the biggest and brightest of 2011,” C.B. Devgun, director of the Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE), told PTI.

The moon was only 3,56,577 km away. The phenomenon occurred in 1955, 1974, 1992 and 2005.

Full moons coinciding with the moon's closest point to the earth in fact happen after every one year, one month and 18 days when it is about 3,63,104 km from the earth, Mr. Devgun said. “This is because the moon's orbit is an ellipse, with one side 50,000 km closer to the earth than the other. In astronomy, the two extremes are called ‘apogee' [far away] and ‘perigee' [nearby].”

A public sky-watch with telescopes and a live show with full dome visuals were organised by the Nehru Planetarium on Saturday evening for sky-gazers to have a better view of the perigee full moon, Ms. Rathnasree said. Hundreds of people thronged the planetarium to see the earth's natural satellite, she said, adding it was totally safe to watch the moon with naked eyes.

Dispelling reports that a correlation existed between the moon and earthquakes, she said the data for the past 100 years and more showed no correlation.

“It is meaningless to equate the ‘supermoon' with earthquake or tsunami. No inference should ever be drawn from looking at just two data points; any statistical correlation has to be checked over a number of data points.”

Earthquakes and tsunami were earth's internal affairs, R.C. Kapoor, a retired professor of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics said. The moon could cause a higher tide and nothing else.

The term ‘supermoon' 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.

At the closest, the moon lies roughly 3,56,630 km from the earth.

Posted

QUOTE
OMG I have just realised I can google too

Except I didn't Google it. I've been interested in astronomy since I was a kid...

Posted
nearly as long as you have been getting on peoples wicks then  :p
Posted
Well my son wanted to touch the moon tonight because he also thought it was bigger so much so we had to get the steps out the garage and climb to the top of them in the living room to try and touch it. Ah bless he's only 27months.
Posted

:blush: Just found your tex stupid phone! was in the inbox but no nothing on the screen.

Yup a ride out would be good just give me a ring when your ready.

Posted
nearly as long as you have been getting on peoples wicks then  :p

I'm sorry if facts annoy you. But they aren't mine, I'm just passing them along...

Posted
nearly as long as you have been getting on peoples wicks then  :p

I'm sorry if facts annoy you. But they aren't mine, I'm just passing them along...

yawn  :laugh:

Posted
:blush: Just found your tex stupid phone! was in the inbox but no nothing on the screen.

Yup a ride out would be good just give me a ring when your ready.

ok m8 - look forwards to it  :t-up:

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