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When the Moon's Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie ... That's Not Amore, That's Physics
By Jeff Kanipe
Special to space.com
posted: 02:49 pm ET
20 December 1999
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fullest_moon_991220 Romantic couples with a penchant for moonlit walks would be well advised to bring their sunglasses with them Wednesday evening as the moon will shine larger and brighter in the sky than it has in recent years. This is the result of a celestial coincidence: On Wednesday, December 22, the moon will be full -- the time of the month when its earthward face is fully illuminated. At the same time, our natural satellite will also be at the point in its orbit closest to Earth; astronomers call this the perigee. This is because the moon's orbit is not a perfect circle but rather an ellipse. If it were circular, the moon's distance would remain constant. As it is, however, it fluctuates each month between 25,000 and 30,000 miles (40,000 and 48,000 kilometers) . Finally, this comes at the time when both the moon and the Earth are closest to the sun, as is the case every year during winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The result of these three simultaneous conditions is that the moon will appear both larger and brighter than usual. The last time such a three-way coincidence occurred was in December 1991.  STS-86 Atlantis rolled out to Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in September under the light of a full moon. Of course the downside to the moon's increased incandescence is that orb's closer proximity to Earth has ignited millennium fever in a few avid skywatchers, the implication being that this may have something to do with the end of the 2nd age. If you want some real grist for the millennial rumor mill, however, try this: Next month, on January 21, the moon will not only be nearest Earth for the year 2000, but a total lunar eclipse will also be seen throughout the Americas that evening. Apocalyptic stories will no doubt abound.
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