Saturday Night Special: Biggest Full Moon of 2009

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.


It will appear about 14 percent bigger in our sky and 30 percent brighter than some other full moons during 2009, according to NASA. (A similar setup occurred in December, making that month's full moon the largest of 2008.)

news.yahoo.com...
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Heads up guy's and gal's this should be cool! I'll take some pics and post them here

[edit on 10-1-2009 by alyosha1981]

It is a very cold and beautiful night out tonight. I love the winter, and how clear and fresh it seems outside when the cold is bearing down on us, and the moon is really showing off tonight! I work third, and always try to catch a glimpse of it just before it dips out of sight, at that time it is HUGE!

I'll be sure and check it out, thanks.

Peace

Ya I love the winter sky as well, hopfully we can get some cool pic's of the big moon on here I love the harvest moon as well, all red and stuff

Look for major earthquakes after this. Also, is someone savvy with tide charts and such? It would be interesting to see if both events could be the harbinger of doom that everyone has been waiting for.

Thanks for the great heads up! It always brings one a sense of peace and allows for a deeper connection with the universe when gazing at the heavens. The moon is already big and bright tonight, I can't wait to see it tomorrow. Thanks!

Thanx for the info. I noticed last night that the moon seemed a little brighter than normal. I can only imagine how much brighter it will seem tonight.

hello world, Re. the big moon tonight...Its 8pm in Australia @ from where I am in Brisbane,I gaze East,and there is ziltch. all cloud.no moon at all....But fear not, when cloud passes,she'll be thereI'll keep youse all posted...

Tonight (Friday night) was an exceptionally bright night at least where I live, I was outside for a cigarette at about 3AM and again at 4:30 and it was as bright as twilight. It was pretty amazing.

Looking forward to Saturday night, I love stargazing.

Ya Me too, I can't wait to snap spme pic's of the big moon, this only happens once a year

Very interesting on how "everything" is adding up in a way. Iranian ship arrives Saturday. Big Full Moon that's different from the rest of the year appears Saturday. Sunday is 9/11/01 backwards (1/11/09).

A lot of people also take this "astronomical" data into having very deep meaning.

Example: look at the pyramids lining up with some of the star constellations.

reply to post by bobbylove321


Good point, what do think it translates into? me personally, I believe alot of weird stuff is already starting to happen early on for this new year.

Thanks for the information, i hope i get to see it. It is pretty cloudy here today though . But i have noticed the moon being brighter than usual lately, cause it was so light outside during the night, but i thought nothing of it. But this should be an amazing sight.