If skies are clear Saturday, go out at sunset and look for the giant moon rising in the east. It will be the biggest and brightest one of 2009, sure to wow even seasoned observers.
Earth, the moon and the sun are all bound together by gravity, which keeps us going around the sun and keeps the moon going around us as it goes through phases. The moon makes a trip around Earth every 29.5 days.
But the orbit is not a perfect circle. One portion is about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to our planet than the farthest part, so the moon's apparent size in the sky changes. Saturday night (Jan. 10) the moon will be at perigee, the closest point to us on this orbit.
I'm going to miss it by 2 weeks darn it! I got to see the full moon rise last January and it was fantastic. This time I'll just have to make do with a sky full of stars.
Ahh, beautiful here in Olive Branch, Mississippi! But we're headed to SP in 7 days so we're looking forward to seeing what's left of the moon when we get there!
Crystal clear night with that huge moon was beautiful! Lit up the nearby hills to give me an awesome view. Reminds me how lucky I am to live in No. Calif.
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