Nature Thoughts

I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

December 22, 2016

The Closest and Brightest SuperMoon in the 21st Century

A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth–Moon–Sun system.

Supermoon Baguio:
   Watching the skies on November 14, I saw the big and bright supermoon billed as a “super-dupermoon” or an “extra-supermoon.”
   This Supermoons will be the nearest that a full moon has come to Earth since January 26, 1948. The full moon could appear close again until November 25, 2034 whether I'll be there or gone. 
   The term supermoon refers to a full moon that occurs when our planet’s natural satellite is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. Astronomers call that point perigee, and so “perigee moon” is another term for supermoon. The point at which the moon is most distant from Earth in its orbit is known as apogee.
   A supermoon may appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an apogee full moon, according to NASA. The effect is most pronounced when the moon is viewed near the horizon.
   This supermoon is one of three to occur during the last tree months of 2016. There was a supermoon on Oct. 16, and there will be another on Dec. 14. 
‘Supermoon’ vs. Full MoonsThis image by Bill Hood compares the size of the sup…
Supermoon vs. Full Moons
This image by Bill Hood compares the size of the supermoon with the other full moons from 2016. Hood shot the moon photos with a Nikon D750 camera and Nikon 200-500mm lens.
Credit: Bill Hood





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