Missed Friday’s Full Moon? It’s back Tonight!

[babylonsister]

http://sciencemode.com/2008/12/13/missed-fridays-full-moon-its-back-tonight/

Missed Friday’s Full Moon? It’s back Tonight!

By Mazen Alkhamis on Dec 13th, 2008

Missed Friday Full Moon-

Its back Tonight Stargazers were in for a real treat Friday night when the full moon lit up the night sky in its brightest display in 50 years.

But if you missed it, there’s another full moon tonight that will be only slightly dimmer.

Friday night’s full moon was so bright because our planet’s closest cosmic neighbor reached its closest distance, or perigree, to Earth in half a century.

The moon’s size was also larger, 14-percent bigger to be exact. Here’s why, the moon is usually just more than 238-thousand miles away, but Friday night the distance was decreased by 17-thousand miles, pulling it closer in, much to the delight of anyone on the ground looking up at the celestial event. Earth’s last closest moon perigree was in 1993. The Earth’s next close encounter with a full moon is eight years away, on November 14, 2016.

To see tonight’s full moon, look to the east shortly after sunset, and hope it’s not cloudy in your area.

Another reason to be looking up at the night sky Saturday is for the Geminid meteor shower, which reaches its peak tonight. The best viewing time is from about 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m., when bright meteors may be seen every minute or two.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. It was uncharacteristically bright last night...

We lost power in the ice storm, and when I let my dog out, I was shocked at how bright it was.

[elleng]

4. Best 'angle' type of thing.

Missed it. Had been watching at beach in Florida until this month; now I'm trapped in 'north.'

[Feron]

2. I just wish the snow would come back as well.

The surviving patches of snow in my yard melted this afternoon. :(

Watching the snow glisten under the moonlight was absolutely beautiful. I just wish that it hadn't been too dark for my cameras to capture.

[panader0]

3. I played a gig last night and didn't get home until 2:30 AM

We had to air up a tire on my friend's car and it was so bright I didn't need a flashlight to read the tire gauge. Wow, what a night!

[liberalmuse]

5. I couldn't see it because of the clouds last night.

But I felt it. I know people think it is superstitious nonsense that the moon gives some people energy, but I'm not so sure.

[lamp_shade]

6. I saw it last night. So beautiful. This morning it was also clearly visible.

It looked like a picture out of National Geographic.

[pleah]

11. I saw it last night and this morning, also.

It was like daylight outside. Plus, I could even see the craters with my $3.00 binoculars!

[DemoTex]

7. Technically tonight's moon is waning gibbous 98% of full. But still spectacular.

http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php

[Andy823]

8. Missed it last night

Because of snow and clouds and the forecast is the same for tonight. Oh well, I did see some pictures, but it's not the same!

[TreasonousBastard]

9. Too bad the moon wipes out most meteors...

and around here we were clouded over for every other meteor shower this year.

And tonight with clear skies, there's a moon!

(The local amateur observatory is having our weekly sky party, but meteor and most tlescope viewing is shot tonight.)

[tomreedtoon]

10. Nothing like a big Werewolf Moon.

This will anger the Wiccans and others out there, but that's what a full moon is. It makes the rednecks drive more erratically, it causes the abusive husbands to kill their wives more often, and it causes absolutely stupid mechanical failures in previously sound equipment.

A Wiccan friend of mine calls the full moon "the Goddess." I think of it as Satan's Glaring Eye.

[W_HAMILTON]

12. It was a little underwhelming.

I read all the talk about the moon last night, then went outside to go to work, and it was a little thing :( Really bright though, very white. I thought everyone meant it was going to be one of those HUUUUUUUGE moons that looks like it's about to crash into the earth! What causes that, by the way? I took Astronomy way back when, and should remember something like that, but I don't :(

[SoCalDem]

13. too cloudy out here to see it

darn the luck:(

[pansypoo53219]

14. saw it last night. probably cloudy now.

bit nippy for meteors.