Pretty Endless Thoughts

May 5, 2012 at 11:45 pm, ‘twas Saturday night, the supermoon has been visible. Today, May 6, 2012 at 3:35 am, Sunday ‘till night, still it was visible.

The Perigee Full Moon last night was 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons of 2012, according to NASA. It was called ‘Supermoon’ because it is a situation when the moon is slightly closer to Earth in its orbit than on average, and this effect is most noticeable when it occurs at the same time as a full moon. In scientific called Perigee Moon in one side abut 50,000 kilometers closer than the other Apogee. So, the moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times. 

It is called a supermoon because this is a very noticeable alignment that at first glance would seem to have an effect. The ‘super’ in supermoon is really just the appearance of being closer, but unless we were measuring the Earth-Moon distance by laser rangefinders (as we do to track the LRO [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter] spacecraft in low lunar orbit and to watch the Earth-Moon distance over years), there is really no difference. 

The effects on Earth from a supermoon are minor, and according to the most detailed studies by terrestrial seismologists and volcanologists, the combination of the moon being at its closest to Earth in its orbit, and being in its ‘full moon’ configuration (relative to the Earth and sun), should not affect the internal energy balance of the Earth since there are lunar tides every day. The Earth has stored a tremendous amount of internal energy within its thin outer shell or crust, and the small differences in the tidal forces exerted by the moon (and sun) are not enough to fundamentally overcome the much larger forces within the planet due to convection (and other aspects of the internal energy balance that drives plate tectonics). Nonetheless, these supermoon times remind us of the effect of our ‘Africa-sized’ nearest neighbor on our lives, affecting ocean tides and contributing to many cultural aspects of our lives (as a visible aspect of how our planet is part of the solar system and space).

We all know that when Full Moon comes, there’s so many theory. Like having a nature disaster, sickness and people strangely behavior because it will be closest to earth. But that wasn’t true.

What a wonderful Moon at night.

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