Supermoon!

f5.6, 1/320s, ISO100

Another celestial event is unfolding. The Super Moon! Today, March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It’s a super “perigee moon” – the biggest in almost 20 years (NASA). A perigee moon is when the moon is closest to the earth, but what makes this one particularly special is that it coincides with a full moon, which hasn’t happened since 1993.

I went out last night to have a look and this is what I saw – it really did seem bigger and brighter. It’s fascinating.

Also from NASA: The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On March 19th, why not let the “Moon illusion” amplify a full Moon that’s extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.