Super moon 2012 on Saturday will be 16 percent bigger
Super moon 2012 on Saturday is going to be significantly bigger than full moon on any-other day. It will be at least be 16 percent bigger, say Raaj Datta of NVONews.Com
Here’s something for all stargazers. This Saturday, you will witness the biggest full moon when it will be at its closest from the earth this year. This phenomenon is called the Supermoon. The term was first used in the year 1979 to describe a full moon that concurs with the perigee. Due to the moon’s egg-shaped elliptical orbit, there are times when it’s closest to Earth- perigee. At the farthest, it’s called apogee.
Saturday night, the moon will reach its perigee at a distance of 221,801 miles (356,955 kilometres) from the earth – the closest lunar perigee of 2012. Translating it for our visual senses, the moon will appear around 16 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons of 2012. If you are out there to measure the difference, catch a glimpse of the moon once again on November 28 when the farthest full moon of the year will appear. The moon will be around 406,349 kilometres away from the earth that day.
For stargazers and shutterbugs, the most phenomenal moments during Saturday’s supermoon will emerge minutes after local sunset. The closest lunar perigee this year will occur at 11:34 p.m. Eastern Time, and will fall in line with the sun, just a minute later. That’s going to make the moon look full and intimidating the foreground objects.
The moon’s proximity usually doesn’t have any major effects on our planet, expect for ebb and flow of the ocean tides. Tides are at their max during full and new moons. The moon is close enough to cause to make its presence felt, but according to astronomers, it’s just a myth that lunar orbs cause natural disasters.
Last year’s supermoon on March 19 passed by without causing any abnormal increase seismic activity – earthquakes or volcanic eruptions as predicted by some to cause chaos and panic. As always, seismologists couldn’t find any connection between supermoons and seismic activity. The gravitational pull during a perigee isn’t big enough either, and usually it’s a less than 1 percent increase in earthquake activity – as good as nothing.
Supermoons have been happening for billions of years and there’s absolutely no reason of concern, except that you need to take time out and enjoy the phenomenon.
Just in case if you miss this one
In case you miss this supermoon, there will be another one next month that will again roughly coincide with perigee, though a bit farther, at 222,750 miles (358,482 kilometres). It will be half of the one percent difference in size – just one percent less bright.
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