Photos: Saturday Night's Super Moon
Saturday night's moon was larger and brighter than usual.
A cloudy night in Northern Virginia obscured the Super Moon for many. For those who could see it, Saturday night's moon appeared about 15 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons this year, according to NASA. The Super Moon (a phrase coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979) seemed large because the moment of perigee—when the moon is closest to the Earth in its monthly rotation—coincided with the appearance of a perfectly full moon, according to the Smithsonian. On Saturday at 11:34 p.m. ET, the moon reached full moon status—when the earth, moon and sun are all in alignment. One minute later, at 11:35 p.m., “perigee” occurred. The moon was be 221,802 miles away from Earth Saturday night; (the average distance is 238,…
Lauren Jost
5:49 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Awesome photo, Rick! Must've been cool to see from the plane. more ›