The full moon this weekend will be another so-called "Supermoon", the first of three to grace the sky this year.
Since the moon is "fullest" early Saturday morning, you can look for the Supermoon both Friday and Saturday nights.
A Supermoon occurs when the moon is somewhat closer to Earth than it typically is, and the effect is most noticeable when it occurs at the same time as a full moon, according to James Garvin, chief scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The other Supermoons will be in August and September.
The one on Aug. 10 will be the biggest of the year, as the moon will be closest to Earth on that day.
The best time to look at the full moon is when it's near the horizon.
That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view, NASA reports.
Low-hanging moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects.
Supermoon is a relatively recent term, likely first coined by an astrologer about 30 years ago, reports EarthSky's Bruce McClure.
Before that, "we called them a perigee full moon...Perigee just means 'near Earth,'" he writes.
If you're tired of the Supermoon hysteria, other names for the July, August and September full moons are the Buck, Sturgeon and Corn Moon, respectively, reports David Dickinson of Universe Today.
You can share your supermoon pictures tweet them to @GenAstronomy or in https://www.facebook.com/GeneralAstronomy , https://plus.google.com/communities/114137351816945260881 , http://general-astronomy.blogspot.com/
Since the moon is "fullest" early Saturday morning, you can look for the Supermoon both Friday and Saturday nights.
A Supermoon occurs when the moon is somewhat closer to Earth than it typically is, and the effect is most noticeable when it occurs at the same time as a full moon, according to James Garvin, chief scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The other Supermoons will be in August and September.
The one on Aug. 10 will be the biggest of the year, as the moon will be closest to Earth on that day.
The best time to look at the full moon is when it's near the horizon.
That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view, NASA reports.
Low-hanging moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects.
Supermoon is a relatively recent term, likely first coined by an astrologer about 30 years ago, reports EarthSky's Bruce McClure.
Before that, "we called them a perigee full moon...Perigee just means 'near Earth,'" he writes.
If you're tired of the Supermoon hysteria, other names for the July, August and September full moons are the Buck, Sturgeon and Corn Moon, respectively, reports David Dickinson of Universe Today.
You can share your supermoon pictures tweet them to @GenAstronomy or in https://www.facebook.com/GeneralAstronomy , https://plus.google.com/communities/114137351816945260881 , http://general-astronomy.blogspot.com/
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