Explaining this week’s Super Moon

Posted on 10 May 2012

So what was the Super Moon of May 6th about after all?

At 05h33 (I know why does it have to be at that time) on May 6th 2012 the full moon hanging in our skies was 14% bigger and 30% brighter.  According to Science@NASA what we were seeing was a ‘perigee moon’.  At that ‘up with the sparrow’s hour’, it reached it’s perigee as it lined up with the earth and sun to become gloriously full.  The real increase in size however is only visible as the moon approaches a horizon.  So we sat at the top of the pass in Nature’s Valley, breathing warm air into our hands and painfully watched the moon creep down.  It was worth the wait and although the sun was rising and the light was tricky I managed to get a few shots of this giant ‘super moon’.

No Photoshop required, the moon really did look this big. That evening, hungry for more photos, we watched it rise over a ghostly sea before it disappeared into a thin cloak of clouds. Here are a few of my shots, albeit a bit grainy!

Did anyone else watch this moon and where do you think was the best place to see it rise or set?

 

 

 






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