Observing the Largest Full Moon of 2011 with UP AstroSoc
Come and join UP Astronomical Society (UP Astrosoc) in witnessing this year’s Supermoon 🙂
poster by Francis Bugaoan, Observation and Instrumentation Cluster member (UP AstroSoc)
In the Philippines, Full Moon will occur at 2:10 AM (PHT) on March 20, 2011.
From www.popsci.com
On March 19th, the moon will be closer to Earth than it’s been since 1992. This day marks this year’s lunar perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit at which it is closest to Earth. The full moon that night will appear about 14 percent larger and significantly brighter than usual, but despite the brightness, the supermoon has a dark side. Supermoons have been linked to massive natural disasters in the past, from earthquakes to floods–but that connection is typically touted by astrologists. Astronomers and scientists, with typical drollness, say a catastrophe is unlikely.
It’s the moon’s elliptical orbit that’s responsible for the differences in distance between the moon and Earth (the opposite, the point at which the moon is farthest from the Earth, is called the lunar apogee).
Apogee/Perigee Credit: Anthony Ayiomamitis
Clear skies to all! 🙂
