Tonight's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2006

[Snowy Owl]

BIG FULL MOON: Can't sleep? It must be the moonlight. Tonight's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2006.

What makes it big? Answer: The Moon's lopsided orbit. One side of the Moon's orbit is 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other side. The two sides are called, respectively, perigee, from Greek, meaning "close to Earth," and apogee, meaning "far from Earth." Tonight's Moon is at perigee.

To illustrate the difference, apogee vs. perigee, Anthony Ayiomamitis of Athens, Greece, took these two pictures when the Moon was at opposite ends of its elliptical orbit. The perigee Moon is about 12% larger.

EXTRA! Tonight's wide Moon is going to glide through Earth's shadow, producing a 90-minute partial lunar eclipse visible from eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Only 19% of the Moon will be in deep shadow, but that's enough for a pretty display. Maximum eclipse takes place at 1851 UT on Sept. 7th: animation.

http://spaceweather.com/

 

[Theresa42]

Re: Tonight's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2006

I noticed! It's fantastic. Absolutely beautiful.

(Didn't see the eclipse however.)

 

[T. ModestoPhD]

Re: Tonight's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2006

Hey Celtic Cross

Thank you for reminding me and all of us about the beautiful full moon.
I have some major work to complete by morning. Felt tired at 3AM so I stepped out on my steps and became so refreshed and renewed by spending time with my "Mr. Moon". The moon tonight is just fantastic, more than words can express.

The tiredness and all is now gone and so refreshed I'm off to get back to work.

Thanks again for encouraging us to take time out to enjoy and be renewed by the simple but enjoyable gifts of life and nature!

As I wrote that line I realized that you offered me/us a very precious teachable moment. Should and when a pandemic occur, we will all be tired and stressed out and will need to find ways to be renewed even while we remain close to our homes. One way is to take a few moments to de-stress and to re-new/ restore our hearts and minds with enjoyment of the stars and moon out our windows no matter where we live if we are in the city or in the rural countryside and stop the busy stuff of life for a few moments so our bodies, minds and spirts can be renewed and restored in wholeness and balance. For me I call it 'holy wholeness'. A moment of soaking up the beauty, a prayer and stillness of the heart and soul does wonders. What a gift we are each given for the taking!

Thank you Celtic Cross for reminding me of that gift!

TM

BIG FULL MOON: Can't sleep? It must be the moonlight. Tonight's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2006.

What makes it big? Answer: The Moon's lopsided orbit. One side of the Moon's orbit is 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other side. The two sides are called, respectively, perigee, from Greek, meaning "close to Earth," and apogee, meaning "far from Earth." Tonight's Moon is at perigee.

To illustrate the difference, apogee vs. perigee, Anthony Ayiomamitis of Athens, Greece, took these two pictures when the Moon was at opposite ends of its elliptical orbit. The perigee Moon is about 12% larger.

EXTRA! Tonight's wide Moon is going to glide through Earth's shadow, producing a 90-minute partial lunar eclipse visible from eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Only 19% of the Moon will be in deep shadow, but that's enough for a pretty display. Maximum eclipse takes place at 1851 UT on Sept. 7th: animation.

http://spaceweather.com/