Lynn
03-05-2012, 02:16 AM
Hello
May 2012 Super Moon
Sky watchers take note: The biggest full moon of the year is due to arrive this weekend.
The moon will officially become full Saturday (May 5) at 11:35 p.m. EDT. And because this month's full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth — it will also be the year's biggest.
This month's full moon is due to be about 16 percent brighter than average. In contrast, later this year on Nov. 28, the full moon will coincide with the moon's farthest approach, offering a particularly small and dim full moon.
The unusual appearance of this month's full moon brings no reason for alarm, scientists say. The slight distance difference isn't enough to cause any earthquakes or extreme tidal effects, experts say. However, the normal tides around the world will be particularly high and low. The last supermoon occurred in March 2011.
To view this weekend's supermoon to best effect, look for it just after it rises or before it sets, when it is close to the horizon.
An annular solar eclipse will take place on May 20, 2012 (May 21, 2012 for local time in Eastern Hemisphere). A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun, causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring), blocking most of the Sun's light. An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region thousands of kilometer’s wide.
Lynn
May 2012 Super Moon
Sky watchers take note: The biggest full moon of the year is due to arrive this weekend.
The moon will officially become full Saturday (May 5) at 11:35 p.m. EDT. And because this month's full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth — it will also be the year's biggest.
This month's full moon is due to be about 16 percent brighter than average. In contrast, later this year on Nov. 28, the full moon will coincide with the moon's farthest approach, offering a particularly small and dim full moon.
The unusual appearance of this month's full moon brings no reason for alarm, scientists say. The slight distance difference isn't enough to cause any earthquakes or extreme tidal effects, experts say. However, the normal tides around the world will be particularly high and low. The last supermoon occurred in March 2011.
To view this weekend's supermoon to best effect, look for it just after it rises or before it sets, when it is close to the horizon.
An annular solar eclipse will take place on May 20, 2012 (May 21, 2012 for local time in Eastern Hemisphere). A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun, causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring), blocking most of the Sun's light. An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region thousands of kilometer’s wide.
Lynn