The moon will be striking tonight
By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published December 12, 2008 at 2:44 p.m.
Updated December 12, 2008 at 2:44 p.m.
Photo by Associated Press
The moon rises behind bride Kailey Wilson as she gets a hand from her mom Maurene while having her picture taken by photographer Trevor Thomas late Thursday afternoon, Dec. 11, 2008 above Indian Battle Park in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The moon reaches its full phase on Friday.
If there was ever a night to try to lasso the moon, tonight is the night.
Moon gazers are loony with excitement because during tonight's full moon, Earth's natural satellite, will be close to the planet than at any time this year — in fact, at any time since 1993.
Not only is tonight the night that the moon gets closest to Earth — reaches its maximum perigee, in the language of astronomers — but that perigee is happening during a full moon.
The moon should look 30 percent brighter and bigger than normal, say astronomers.
It's also expected to stretch those high tides on ocean shores farther than they've been stretched in years.
"Typically we don't have the full moon phase and perigee coinciding at the same time, so that makes this event particularly special," Ed Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, told National Geographic.
It's a night for looking skyward, from Armenia to Zimbabwe.
But Coloradans might not get the best view.
"It's not looking good for a crystal-clear night," said meteorologist Kyle Fredin, of the National Weather Service's Boulder office.
"We have mid- and upper-level clouds from here to Salt Lake City.
"Hopefully, we'll luck out and have a break in the clouds, but I don't think so."
Still, whether behind clouds or not, tonight's moon will be luminescent and large, and just about as close as Coloradans ever are going to get to it.
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December 12, 2008
3:01 p.m.
Suggest removal
Darwin writes:
"Earth's natural satellite, will be closer to the planet than at any time this year — in fact, at any time since 1993."
I would have thought that the article would have at least given the distant from the earth to the moon tonight.
December 12, 2008
3:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
Achilles writes:
...or the best time to view the moon tonight.
No wonder folks are disinterested in RMN news...
December 12, 2008
3:31 p.m.
Suggest removal
Tizzy writes:
Very nice photograph. Today is a full moon, the fullest, now I understand why everyone in Cherry Creek Mall area was not using their turn signals, talking on the phone while driving, driving 3 mph and in generally driving a car like a 6 year old. All the crazy people are out and about today
December 12, 2008
3:50 p.m.
Suggest removal
HankReardon writes:
Darwin, I tried the find the distance for you but found the following instead. Be careful out there!
[reply posted on 30-11-2008 @ 06:54 AM by 1rked44]
"I'm just a crazy guy, so what I post is not a prophecy or prediction. I just keep getting a feeling that there's going to be a significant seismic event soon, like in two weeks, and it's related to the next full moon which will be at maximum perigee, and at it's peak orbital inclination, also called a node. Sure, there's no conclusive statistical correlation on the effects to 'prove' this, so clearly I'm just a crazy guy. Any one who thinks I'm doing it to scare people can go right ahead and think that. I feel that if this event does occur, and one person who saw this post took action that saved their life, then maybe I'm not so crazy after all. If nothing happens, I'll happily shut up about any more 'premonitions'. Oh yeah, before I forget, it's the pacific northwest Vancouver, BC/Seattle, Wash. area that I'm going on about."
December 12, 2008
4:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
freemarketworks writes:
According to (http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_rs...) moonrise is at 4:32 pm this afternoon. Whatever happened to answering what, when, how, who, where and why in a news article?
December 12, 2008
4:32 p.m.
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dirkle writes:
Last night (Thurs) not only was the moon perfectly full overhead and beautiful, but there was also (at least at my house) a huge gorgeous corona / halo surrounding it.
I hope it does it again tonight so everyone can see it.
December 12, 2008
4:50 p.m.
Suggest removal
Buckwheat writes:
No thanks, what they say about a full moon is true (or one hell of a coincidence) I'll be staying off the streets, and checking it out from my patio deck.