When the Moon Hits Your Eye…

Apogee vs. Perigee - Copyright © 2001-2010, Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Some might say ‘That’s Amore,’ but they’d be wrong.  In reality, when the moon is the biggest you’ll see all year, it’s called the Perigee Moon because it’s located at the point in its orbit called the ‘Perigee.’  The perigee is the point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to the earth.  The opposite, or apogee, is when the moon is at the point in its orbit that is farthest from earth.

In case you didn’t know, the orbit of the moon is not a perfect circle.  It’s an ellipse.  As a matter of fact, one side of the ellipse is actually 50,000 km closer to earth than the other. 

As a result of the moon being at the perigee, tonight’s full moon will appear 14% wider and 30% brighter than other full moons this year. 

Think about it this way… When you hold a golf ball in your hand and extend your hand all the way, the golf ball looks smaller than if you were to pull your arm in and bring the golf ball closer.  The same thing is happening with the moon.

So, will we be able to see the moon?  Probably not well, if at all.  A storm system to our south will be pushing clouds into the region.  The farther north you are, the better your chances.  Even still, those chances don’t look particularly great, either.

If you can catch a glimpse, the best time to do so will be before sunrise as the moon will be on the horizon and will look even bigger.  You can also see Mars right near the moon tonight, too.  Check out the sky map and post below courtesy of SpaceWeather.com for the details.

Skymap - January 29, 2010 - Courtesy SpaceWeather.com