ikenbot:

Poseidon Supermoon

The Full Moon hangs heavy over the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion, south of Athens, in the early evening twilight.

Green Flash and Super Moon

Image Credit & Copyright: Laurent Laveder (PixHeaven.net / TWAN)

Explanation: It was really not about superheroes as on May 6 the much touted Super Moon, the largest Full Moon of 2012, rose over this otherwise peaceful harbor. And no supervillains were present either as boats gently rocked at their moorings near the checkerboard La Perdrix lighthouse on the coast of Brittany, France. But the rise of the Super Moon was preceded by a Green Flash, captured in the first frame of this timelapse video recorded that night. The cropped image of the frame, a two second long exposure, shows the strongly colored flash left of the lighted buoy near picture center. While the Super Moon was enjoyed at locations all around the world, the circumstances that produced the Green Flash were more restrictive. Green flashes for both Sun and Moon are caused by atmospheric refraction enhanced by long, low, sight lines and strong atmospheric temperature gradients often favored by a sea horizon.

Skywatchers on Earth weren’t the only ones dazzled by the so-called weekend “supermoon” on Saturday. An astronaut in space also snapped spectacular photos of the full moon of May, including views of a squashed moon sinking behind the Earth’s horizon.

Dutch astronaut André Kuipers photographed the supermoon of 2012 from a window on the International Space Station, where he has been living since December. He took the photos on Saturday, May 5, when the moon was in its full phase while at its perigee — the closest point to Earth in its orbit. Astronomers call the phenomenon a “perigee moon,” though it is also known informally as a “supermoon.”

One of Kuipers’ supermoon photos captures the stunning moment when the moon dips toward Earth’s horizon and is distorted by the planet’s upper atmosphere, giving it an odd, squashed look. 

“Supermoon sinking into the atmosphere,” Kuipers wrote in a Twitter post for the photo.

A later snapshot reveals the moon as little more than a squashed dome as it slips behind the Earth as viewed from the space station. “Flattened moonbeams,” Kuipers wrote in a photo description. [More Supermoon Photos of 2012]

Other photos by Kuipers show May’s bright full moon shining over a blue Earth or, in another view, framed against the stark blackness of space. The astronauts even captured a video of the supermoon from space.

“The blue colors of our atmosphere are a beautiful contrast with the supermoon,” Kuipers wrote.

At the time, the moon was about 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from Earth, with astronomers predicting it could appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than average to observers on Earth. On average, the Earth is about 230,000 miles (384,400 km) from the moon.

Saturday’s supermoon occurred when the moon hit its perigee point for May — which is the closest lunar perigee of 2012 — at 11:34 p.m. EDT (0334 Sunday GMT), and then hit the peak of its full phase one minute later.

The last supermoon occurred on March 19, 2011. On that night, the moon was even closer to Earth by about 248 miles (400 km).

Kuipers is one of three astronauts currently living on the International Space Station, and has been a prolific space shutterbug during his mission. NASA astronaut Don Pettit — who is also snapping stunning photos of Earth from space — and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko round out the crew. Kononenko is commanding the trio’s Expedition 31 mission.

You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

the-star-stuff:

Supermoon May 2012

On May 6th 2012 there was only a 1 minute difference between fullmoon and perigee making the moon 14% bigger and 30% brighter than average. The third picture was only a few days before May’s 2012 supermoon. Among a layer of thick clouds.

Photographed by Luis Argerich

(via wildlydistorted)

discoverynews:

Here’s my timelapse video of the Perigee Moon or Super Moon! This was all filmed in an island called Guam on 5/6/12.I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! It’s really beautiful! :)

fyeahcarlsagan:

sagan-naut:

I don’t have any more supermoon pictures, but I found some old ones.

Here’s to those who underestimate the power of a measly 4.5” telescope. 

These are lovely!

(Source: anndruyan, via )

ikenbot:

Supermoon 2012 Photos: Big Full Moon Views from Around the World

know-knowledge:

Apogee and perigee refer to the distance from the Earth to the moon.

Apogee is the furthest point from the earth. Perigee  is the closest point to the earth and it is in this stage that the moon appears larger. Looking at the moon in the sky without anything to compare it to, you wouldn’t notice any size difference. But the difference in size can in fact be quite significant.

The picture above shows how the two sizes would compare, if you were to photograph a full moon at apogee and perigee (using the same lens)

(Source: moonconnection.com, via knowledgethroughscience)

discoverynews:

Here’s a close up picture of the Super Moon Or Perigee Moon we have tonight. The moon is the brightest tonight out of the whole year. This picture was taken in an island called Guam. I think this might be the best picture I’ve got so far.

Camera : Canon Rebel T3i
Lens : 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
F-Stop : f/5
Exposure Time : 20 seconds

—from iameloy

ikenbot:

Supermoon From Eiffel Tower

by VegaStar Carpentier

discoverynews:

Going out to see the supermoon or the meteor shower?

Send us your photos. We will post them this week.

You can submit here.

A supermoon is a spectacular sight in which the full moon of a given month occurs at the same time the moon is at perigee – the point in its orbit that brings it closest to Earth. During these events, the moon can appear up to 30 percent brighter and 14 percent bigger to skywatchers on Earth. See how the supermoon, or “perigee moon,” works in the SPACE.com infographic.

You know you love the Universe when…

Supermoon This Weekend

This weekend will provide the full Moon’s closest approach of the year to Earth. On Saturday, May 5, 2012 the Moon could appear as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons of 2012, according to some calculations. Will you notice it? Not if you haven’t really been paying attention, or have a reference point to compare it to other full Moons. And it certainly won’t have any adverse effects on Earth, as this closest approach happens every year — just a fact of orbital mechanics. But perhaps a great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo is to spend the evening gazing at the Moon!

Every month, as the Moon circles the Earth in its elongated orbit, its distance from the Earth varies. This weekend, the Moon is reaching what’s known as its perigee, the closest point to Earth in its orbit. It will be about 356,953 kilometers (221,802 miles) from Earth on Saturday. Apogee — when the Moon is farthest away — varies, but is around 405,000 km (252,000 miles) away.

What is most interesting is that the timing of the perigee and full Moon is really, really close: The full moon occurs at 03:34 UTC on May 6 (11:34 p.m. EDT on May 5 )eastern and perigee follows at 03:35 UTC (11:35 p.m. EDT)

David Morrison, from NASA says “supermoon” is not an astronomical term and he confirms a supermoon has no effect on Earth, and that the change in size is hardly noticeable to the average person. If you miss it, the Moon will be very nearly as close at the next full Moon, and very nearly as close as it was at the last full Moon.

But even better is that two weeks after the “supermoon” on May 5th, the Moon will be at apogee as it lines up in front of the Sun for an amazing annular eclipse on May 20th. An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun. Hence the Sun appears as a very bright ring, or annulus, surrounding the outline of the Moon.

If you’re a photographer, take a picture of the Moon and send it to us. If we get a some good images, we’ll share them. Join our Flickr group, or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain a little about it such as when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

Skywatchers take note: The biggest full moon of the year is due to arrive this weekend.

The moon will officially become full Saturday (May 5) at 11:35 p.m. EDT. And because this month’s full moon coincides with the moon’s perigee — its closest approach to Earth — it will also be the year’s biggest.

The moon will swing in 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from our planet, offering skywatchers a spectacular view of an extra-big, extra-bright moon, nicknamed a supermoon.

And not only does the moon’s perigee coincide with full moon this month, but this perigee will be the nearest to Earth of any this year, as the distance of the moon’s close approach varies by about 3 percent, according to meteorologist Joe Rao, SPACE.com’s skywatching columnist. This happens because the moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular.

(Source: )