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Credit & Copyright: Stefano Sciarpetti
Explanation:
Did you see the big, bright, beautiful Full Moon last Wednesday night?
That was actually a
Micro Moon!
On that night, the smallest Full Moon of 2014 reached its full phase only
a few hours from lunar
apogee,
the time of its the most distant point from Earth in the
Moon's
elliptical orbit.
Of course, last year on the night of June 22,
a Full Super Moon was near perigee, the closest
point
in its orbit.
The relative apparent size of January 15's
Micro Moon is compared to the
June 22 Super Moon in the above
composite image digitally
superimposing
telescopic images from
Perugia, Italy.
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 March 5, 2015, when the lunar full phase will again occur within a few hours
of lunar
apogee.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon - full moon - angular size
Publications with words: Moon - full moon - angular size
See also: