Moon Will Appear Extra Bright Tonight

Tonight's sky will seem 30 percent brighter than usual, NASA says
By Rebecca Smith Hurd,  Newser User
Posted Dec 12, 2008 4:29 PM CST
Moon Will Appear Extra Bright Tonight
The silhouette of a single engine plane caught in the full moon on Saturday evening over Denver.   (AP Photo/Bill Ross)

If tonight’s full moon looks bigger and brighter than normal, that’s because it is, Space.com reports. The satellite reaches its perigree today, making its position the closest of the year to Earth—though still some 222,000 miles away. The moon's irregular orbit causes the distance to vary.


As a result, NASA says, the full moon will appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than  others this year. Because of the moon’s gravitational relationship with the sun, its proximity will pull tides higher tonight, too. (More full moon stories.)

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