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| Earth set for full moon close-up | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A full moon is set to occur closer to the Earth on Friday evening than it has done for the past 15 years. | A full moon is set to occur closer to the Earth on Friday evening than it has done for the past 15 years. |
| The Moon's elliptical orbit means its distance from the Earth is not constant. | The Moon's elliptical orbit means its distance from the Earth is not constant. |
| It will be a little over 350,000km away as it passes over the northern hemisphere, which is about 30,000km closer than usual. | It will be a little over 350,000km away as it passes over the northern hemisphere, which is about 30,000km closer than usual. |
| If the sky is clear it will appear brighter and larger than usual, say astronomers. | |
| Closest path | Closest path |
| Friday's full moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons this year, Nasa said. | Friday's full moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons this year, Nasa said. |
| The Moon's orbit is elliptical, meaning it does not follow a circular but rather an oval path. | The Moon's orbit is elliptical, meaning it does not follow a circular but rather an oval path. |
| It is currently approaching the point where this oval orbit is nearest to the Earth. | It is currently approaching the point where this oval orbit is nearest to the Earth. |
| "It's only every few years that a full moon happens to coincide with the part of the Moon's orbit when its closest to the Earth," said Marek Kukula, an astronomer at the UK's Royal Observatory. | "It's only every few years that a full moon happens to coincide with the part of the Moon's orbit when its closest to the Earth," said Marek Kukula, an astronomer at the UK's Royal Observatory. |
| "What people will see is a full moon that's really bright and a bit bigger than what they're used to." | "What people will see is a full moon that's really bright and a bit bigger than what they're used to." |
| It will appear largest as it rises and sets, but this is a psychological illusion, Dr Kukula said. | It will appear largest as it rises and sets, but this is a psychological illusion, Dr Kukula said. |
| "When it's close to the horizon, our brain interprets it as being bigger than it actually is, this is called the moon illusion," he said. | "When it's close to the horizon, our brain interprets it as being bigger than it actually is, this is called the moon illusion," he said. |
| "The size may be striking when it's near the horizon," said Robert Massey of the UK Royal Astronomical Society. | "The size may be striking when it's near the horizon," said Robert Massey of the UK Royal Astronomical Society. |
| However, he cautioned against expecting too much. | However, he cautioned against expecting too much. |
| "The Moon may be brighter and may appear somewhat larger, but it's really quite hard for the eye to notice the difference; the eye will compensate for the extra brightness, it's not like going from night to day," said Dr Massey. | "The Moon may be brighter and may appear somewhat larger, but it's really quite hard for the eye to notice the difference; the eye will compensate for the extra brightness, it's not like going from night to day," said Dr Massey. |
| The Moon's brightness varies throughout its annual cycle, during the mid-winter in the northern hemisphere it can appear brighter simply because it is higher in the sky. | The Moon's brightness varies throughout its annual cycle, during the mid-winter in the northern hemisphere it can appear brighter simply because it is higher in the sky. |
| We want to see your pictures of tonight's full moon. | We want to see your pictures of tonight's full moon. |
| Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to 61124 or you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to 61124 or you have a large file you can upload here. |
| Read the terms and conditions | Read the terms and conditions |
| At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |