Sunday, May 06, 2012

Super Moon 2012

Super Moon 2012

This evening, the night sky was something special. The moon made its largest, most stunning appearance of the year—an event known to scientists as “the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system” and to the popular skywatching public simply as the “supermoon.” As one of the most spectacular supermoons in years, the moon will appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than when it is on the far side of its orbit.

Why does the moon sometimes appear larger, and sometimes smaller? The answer lies in the fact that its orbit around Earth is elliptical, so its distance from us varies—it ranges from roughly 222,000 to 252,000 miles away each month. On Saturday, the moon will reach what is known as the perigee, coming as close as it ever does to the Earth, just 221,802 miles away. At the same time, it will be a full moon, with the entirety of its Earth-facing surface illuminated by the light of the sun.

10 comments:

  1. Love your moon. Great capture!

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  2. Love the moon through your lenses. Great capture! Yeh dil mange more.

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  3. santosh.... very nice like your blog... beautiful

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  4. Love the moons and suns from your lens, Santa!!! And yes this moon was not only very beautiful but it seemed to create an upsurge of emotions in many people-- I have read so many moody fb posts. Moody supermoon!!!!

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  5. Super click! Like a shining pearl!

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  6. Great picture ! And a good description too.

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  7. Lovely moon...beautiful picture

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  8. Supermoon!! Simply Superb, Santhosh. :)

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