Explanation:
Did
you see the big, bright, beautiful Full Moon Wednesday night?
That was actually a Micro Moon!
On that night, the smallest Full Moon of 2012 reached its full phase only
about 4 hours before
apogee, the most distant point from Earth in the
Moon's elliptical orbit.
Of course, earlier this year on May 6,
a Full Super Moon was near perigee, the closest
point
in its orbit.
The relative apparent size of November 28's
Micro Moon (right) is compared to the famous
May 6 Super Moon in these two panels,
matching
telescopic images from Bucharest, Romania.
The difference
in apparent size represents a difference in distance
of just under 50,000 kilometers between apogee and perigee, given
the Moon's average distance of about 385,000 kilometers.
How long do you have to wait to see another Full Micro Moon?
Until January 16, 2014, when the lunar full phase will occur within
about 3 hours of apogee.
