Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Perigee's Full Moon

NASA ^ | June 22, 2013 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: A big, bright, beautiful Full Moon will rise at sunset on Sunday. Its exact full phase (June 23, 11:32 UT) will occur shortly before it reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth in the Moon's orbit, and make it the largest Full Moon of 2013. But such circumstances are not very rare. The full lunar phase falls near the Moon's orbit perigee about every 14 lunar months. That means the following Full Perigee Moon will be on August 10, 2014, the 14th Full Moon after June 23. On May 5, 2012, 14 Full Moons ago, this inspired telescopic night skyscape captured the Full Perigee Moon rising over Cape Sounion, Greece and the ancient Temple of Poseidon.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis (TWAN)]

[SunkenCiv]

The Big One.

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[Telepathic Intruder]

There's really not that much difference anyway.

[One Name]

Appreciating the long days, we can get something done.

[mylife]

I look forward to it.
The sky seems very dull tonight.

The moon looks tiny.
How is this bigger than a harvest moon?

[mylife]

So it is elliptical?

[luvie]

The “Srawberry Moon”! Beautiful!!

[SunkenCiv]

Yup, there’s about 13,000 miles diff between agogee and perigee, or about 5%.

[Mike Darancette]

How is this bigger than a harvest moon?

Harvest Moon is the first full moon after the Autumnal Equinox and has nothing to do with size.

[Mike Darancette]

I think the next perigee harvest moon is 9/28/2015.

[tanuki]

As a hellenophile, I find that photo awesome!

[Gene Eric]

Neat!

[Don W]

It’s the ORBIT that’s elliptical (slightly). the moon is pretty much a sphere

[Gefn]

It is beautiful.
I love looking at the moon.

[left that other site]

Mooning us again?
LOL.

It is a great shot! :-)

[Verginius Rufus]

One of the blocks from the ancient temple has the letters BYRON carved into it—apparently carved by Lord Byron himself when he was in Greece. Of course in those days there were no guards to prevent people doing that sort of thing to the ancient blocks of marble at the site.

[SunkenCiv]

Oh, I have the wrong date, I must have clicked the wrong ez-post link. [blush]

[SunkenCiv]

• Super Full Moon Shines Brightly This Weekend
• Supermoon will rise in weekend night sky

[Verginius Rufus]

I’m not sure what you are apologizing for. The photo is from the last “super moon” from last year. Astronomical full moon will be about 7:32 a.m. Eastern time on June 23, so tonight’s full moon will be about as full for most people in the US as Sunday night’s full moon.

[SunkenCiv]

The template link was for June 22, not June 21.