Super Moon This Saturday Night 5/5/12

The biggest full moon of the year is coming this weekend!  On Saturday, May 5th at 11:35 p.m the moon will be officially full.  Since this full moon coincides with its closest approach to Earth, it will be the year’s biggest!  This type of moon is called a supermoon and will be within 221,802 miles of us giving us a spectacular view.  This month’s moon will be 16% brighter than average and later this year on November 28th, the full moon will be the farthest away and offer a particularly small and dim full moon.

Normal tides around the world will be higher and lower than normal as the moon will exert about 42% more tidal force during the supermoon.  Some people think that supermoons cause large earthquakes but there is no link between the two.  You can read more about that here.

To get the most out of Saturday’s supermoon, look at it just after it rises or before it sets when it is close to the horizon.  While low in the sky, you’ll be able to catch a view of the moon behind buildings or trees which will create an optical illusion making it seem even larger.

*information from science.com*