[K6BW] Biggest full moon for years enhanced by shooting stars

[david]

Hello HWA,

Look up tonight for a spectacular treat in the sky.

Biggest *full moon for years enhanced by shooting stars *

The moon as seen by the crew of Apollo 13

Top tips for where to watch 
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5332018.ece> | 
Graphic: why it looks bigger 
<http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/moon.pdf>

If the full moon tonight looks unusually large, it is not your 
imagination – it is the biggest and brightest full moon to be seen for 
15 years.

Each month the Moon makes a full orbit around the Earth in a slightly 
oval-shaped path, and tonight it will swing by the Earth at its closest 
distance, or perigee. It will pass by 356,613km (221,595 miles) away, 
which is about 28,000km closer than average.

The unusual feature of tonight is that the perigee also coincides with a 
full moon, which will make it appear 14 per cent bigger and some 30 per 
cent brighter than most full moons this year – so long as the clouds 
hold off from blocking the view.


Related Links

* Where can I see the full moon and meteor shower?
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5332018.ece>

* Red sky at night means wintery showers
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/uk_and_roi/article5321488.ece> 


* Does a new moon bring a change for the better?
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/uk_and_roi/article3768171.ece> 


* Graphic: What makes the Moon look bigger?
<http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/moon.pdf>

The next closest encounter with a full moon this large will not be until 
November 14, 2016.

In addition to this lunar flypast, much of Britain may also be treated 
to a strange phenomenon known as the moon illusion. As the Moon rises in 
the late afternoon, it will appear even larger as it lies close to the 
horizon. Psychologists have tried to explain this as a trick of the eye, 
as the landscape on the horizon appears to make the Moon loom much 
larger, an effect that disappears as the Moon rises above the horizon, 
although viewing it through a tube, such as a toilet roll, can make it 
look large again.

With the Moon approaching so close to the Earth, its gravity will pull a 
slightly higher tide than normal for a full moon. This so-called 
perigeal tide adds about 0.5m (1.6ft) to the high-water mark, and with 
freshening southwesterly winds forecast, this may cause some flooding, 
especially along parts of the South West coast.

Tonight’s full moon is also notable for rising to its greatest height in 
the night sky for the entire year, lying almost overhead at midnight. 
This is because we are approaching the winter solstice, on December 21, 
and thanks to the tilt of the Earth the Moon appears at its highest, as 
the Sun is at its lowest.

Another astronomical treat that could be seen tonight and for the next 
two nights is the annual Geminid meteor shower, one of the year’s best 
displays of shooting stars. Up to 100 meteors an hour can fly across the 
sky. The meteors, which are easy to spot with the naked eye, appear to 
shoot out from the constellation Gemini, hence their name, but they can 
be seen all over the sky. However, with a full moon so bright, the best 
place to look is away from the Moon.

Meteor showers happen when the Earth passes through clouds of debris 
shed from comets. As the tiny fragments smash into the Earth’s upper 
atmosphere at about 100,000mph, they burn up in streaks of light.

For reasons that are not understood, the Geminid meteor showers are 
tending to grow stronger each year.


ENJOY!!!

david
KI6UKC
:-)


More,,,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7779294.stm