Look in the Skies tonight

[mark100]

Tonight there will be a massive full moon  "and its not me bending over B.T.W"

Its the last for this year and will be worth having a look at if your interested in these things.


Mark

[mark100]

Hey this site has gone quiet all of a sudden, no postings for over 10 mimutes? is everyone in their back gardens having a look for the Moon?

Mark   

[MikeDunn]

Sorry, but the "SuperMoon" is mainly hype ...

Yes, it's closer than usual - but that happens quite a bit.  The Moon is at perigee ... the term "supermoon" is something an astrologer slapped on to make it sound 'cool', very few astronomers use the term.  The average distance the Moon is from us is 238,000 miles away; tonight it's a bit less than 223,700 miles.  Conversely it can be further away; over about 248,500 miles is a "micromoon" (apogee).  As the orbit is elliptical ...

Why does it look bigger when the distance isn't that much closer ?  Refraction ... an object closer to the horizon goes through more atmosphere, which magnifies it.  In a few hours, you'll think it a lot smaller than now - and it will be about the same distance away ...

Enjoy it - but please don't think it's anything special, as it's not ...

[Bigric]

OOOH , get you !! VERY technical !!!! Ric

[mark100]

Enjoy it - but please don't think it's anything special, as it's not ...
[/quote]In 47 years I have never heard of it before and saw it on the Google home page and myself and the Kids will be taking the Dogs for a longer walk later so we can have a good at it.

But Thanks for the mileage info, I may pop in loft later and look through my old books and see if I did that many miles behind a Peak during their heyday.

Mark

[Adam1701D]

Sorry, but the "SuperMoon" is mainly hype ...

Yes, it's closer than usual - but that happens quite a bit.  The Moon is at perigee ... the term "supermoon" is something an astrologer slapped on to make it sound 'cool', very few astronomers use the term.  The average distance the Moon is from us is 238,000 miles away; tonight it's a bit less than 223,700 miles.  Conversely it can be further away; over about 248,500 miles is a "micromoon" (apogee).  As the orbit is elliptical ...

Why does it look bigger when the distance isn't that much closer ?  Refraction ... an object closer to the horizon goes through more atmosphere, which magnifies it.  In a few hours, you'll think it a lot smaller than now - and it will be about the same distance away ...

Enjoy it - but please don't think it's anything special, as it's not ...

Pedant mode.....it's "Astronomer" not "Astrologer". The latter are phonies and charlatans. 

[jonclox]

  I blame the Government 

[Newportnobby]

If you were to stand in the garden and peer between your legs you can see Uranus

[mark100]

And as the Man said, it was nothing special, we all walked up the hill, lots of blank looks and came back home again


Mark

[mark37/4]

I did notice the moon seemed a little bigger tonight, but when i look to the sky im looking for green flashes

Mark

[Newportnobby]

I did notice the moon seemed a little bigger tonight, but when i look to the sky im looking for green flashes

Mark

Please don't start Richard Burton off again

[MalcolmInN]

Mode=Pedant2
Actually, sorry to say, but you missed it ! it was last night, Monday night ! (the night of 8/9Sep)
Perigee was at 3:30amUTC (GMT) Sep8th
and Full Moon was a few hours (22h) later at 1:39am Sep9th

And it was not the superest of supermoons, that was on Aug10th when the moon perigee was ~1490km closer and less than 1hr between perigee and full phase.

Not that anyone would have noticed unaided eye
Mind you, you wouldnt notice the difference in size between last night and tonight.

Keep track of future events with this handy little calc.
https://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/pacalc.html
Look for ++ (biggest) and -- (littlest) symbols.

[Bealman]

Careful Mick, I'm on the NASA website (seriously) and I can get them to send a rocket up there 

[mark37/4]

I did notice the moon seemed a little bigger tonight, but when i look to the sky im looking for green flashes

Mark

Please don't start Richard Burton off again

Okay, well if its not green flashes them massive mettallic shape shifting metteors,


Mark

[MikeDunn]

OOOH , get you !! VERY technical !!!! Ric

       

In 47 years I have never heard of it before

Well, the term is around 30 years old ... but has only become 'popular' in the past 5 I reckon.

Pedant mode.....it's "Astronomer" not "Astrologer". The latter are phonies and charlatans. 

[Pedant correction mode on]
Actually, re-read what I wrote 
[Pedant correction mode off]
As an amateur astronomer, I know the difference    A charlatan coined the phrase about 30 years ago (a Google will reveal the details) to make things sound better for his 'predictions' ...  'Nuff said ...

Not that anyone would have noticed unaided eye
Mind you, you wouldnt notice the difference in size between last night and tonight.

Exactly

Perigee happens every 28-&-a-bit days.  In an average year, perigee will have the Moon closer than average twice in the year, hence "supermoon".

But you can fake it by watching the Moon rise over the horizon ... refraction makes it huuuuge on the right nights 

Speaking of which ... here's one I took earlier