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Photos: Supermoon From Around the Globe

Larger-than-normal moon captivates masses around the world.

 
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NASA explains Supermoon
Photos (11)

Photos

An LAPD chopper flies in a foregraund of the Super Moon in Los Angeles, California on May 05, 2012
A palm tree foregraounds Super Moon in Los Angeles,California on May 05, 2012. Tonight's moon is set to appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter from our perspective on Earth. The Supermoon lines up much closely with perigee -- the moon's closest point to Earth.
A perigee moon, or supermoon, rises behind wind turbines on May 5, 2012 near Palm Springs, California. The moon appears especially big and bright during this once-a-year cosmic event as the full moon is at its closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. The perigee side of its orbit is about 31,000 miles closer than the opposite, or apogee, side. The bright light of the full moon also hides all but the brightest meteors of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, the remnant debris trail of Halley's Comet.
The "supermoon" is seen May 5, 2012 from Chevy Chase, Maryland. The biggest and brightest moon of the year is due to the moon being at its closest point to the earth during its orbit.
A full moon is seen rising over the Pacific Ocean on May 6, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. The full moon known as a "Super Moon" occurs annually when the moon is at it's fullest and its closest distance to earth in it's orbit.
Action above and below deck as skipper Ken Read from the USA works at the navigation station while the crew sail under full Supermoon conditions, onboard PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG during leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 on May 6, 2012 from Itajai, Brazil, to Miami, North America.
Videos (2)

Videos

Around the globe, folks observed the so-called "supermoon." Not impressed? Here's why NASA says the "supermoon" is worth getting out of bed to observe.

This weekend's moon appears 14 percent larger than normal and 30 percent brighter. It happens because the moon orbits the earth in an off-center, oval pattern. Once a year, the moon reaches "perigee," the point when it's closest to the Earth.

View photos of the "supermoon" from Mount Pleasant.

Later in the year, when the moon is the farthest from the Earth, its position is termed apogee.

But some folks doubt whether the moon looked any different Saturday night than it did the rest of the year. That's reasonable, according to the folks at NASA, because 14 percent larger isn't all that noticeable.

"There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameter," according to a NASA video. "Hanging high over head with no reference points, one full moon can seem just like another."

But if you observe the moon just as it clears the horizon, it's much easier to distinguish the larger size. On Saturday, that initial appearance was obscured by storm clouds in the Charleston area.

Submit your photos of the Supermoon to our Community Gallery.

Related Topics: NASA and super moon

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Chris Winston

9:51 am on Monday, May 7, 2012

Sorry, Kill Factory, I deleted your comment because it violated our terms and conditions.

You will notice that it does not say the moon orbits the earth once a year. It says that it reaches perigee once a year.

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