The biggest full moon of the year is this weekend. Officially at 11:35 pm on Saturday, May 5th the moon will be full. This full moon matches with the moon’s perigee, when it is closest to Earth.
This “Supermoon” will be the biggest of the year because this perigee will be the closest. The distance from the Earth to moon chang
es because the moon’s orbit is not a perfect circle. The May full moon is predicted to be about 16% brighter than average.
The full moon may be surprising and a cool sight to see but should not cause any major change in earthquakes or tides. The normal tides will be higher than average because the weekend full moon will exert about 40% more tidal force than the next apogee, two weeks later.
To best view this weekend’s supermoon, look for it just after it rises or before it sets, when it is close to the horizon. There, you can catch a view of the moon behind buildings or trees, an effect which produces an optical illusion, making the moon seem even larger than it really is.
The last “Supermoon” was in March of 2011.
Photo from the 2011 “Supermoon” (Courtesy: Tim McCord & Space.com)
