Before I go to bed, I wanted to share this with you guys. I copied this from a site (link below), so if you're interested in it, don't forget to take a look. We will have a giant moon tomorrow night :)
'May 2,
2012: The
full Moon has a reputation for trouble. It raises high tides, it makes dogs
howl, it wakes you up in the middle of the night with beams of moonlight
stealing through drapes. If a moonbeam wakes you up on the night of May 5th,
2012, you might want to get out of bed and take a look. This May’s full
Moon is a "super Moon,” as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other
full Moons of 2012.
The
scientific term for the phenomenon is "perigee moon." Full Moons vary
in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. The Moon follows an
elliptical path around Earth with one side ("perigee") about 50,000
km closer than the other ("apogee"). Full Moons that occur on
the perigee side of the Moon's orbit seem extra big and bright.
Such is the
case on May 5th at 11:34 pm Eastern Daylight Time1 when the
Moon reaches perigee. Only one minute later, the Moon will line up with
Earth and the sun to become brilliantly full. The timing is almost
perfect.
Okay, the
Moon is 14% bigger than usual, but can you really tell the difference? It's
tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters.
Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one
full Moon can seem much like any other.
The best
time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. For reasons not fully understood by
astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when
they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On May 5th,
this Moon illusion will amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin
with. The swollen orb rising in the east
at sunset should seem super indeed.
Folklore
holds that all kinds of wacky things happen under the light of a full
Moon. Supposedly, hospital admissions
increase, the crime rate ticks upward, and people behave strangely. The idea
that the full Moon causes mental disorders was widespread in the Middle Ages.
Even the word "lunacy," meaning "insanity," comes from the
Latin word for "Moon."
The
majority of modern studies, however, show no correlation between the phase of
the Moon and the incidence of crime, sickness, or human behavior. The truth is, the Moon is less influential
than folklore would have us believe.
It's true
that a perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides,"
but according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this is
nothing to worry about. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide
waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local
geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not
exactly a great flood.
Super
perigee Moons are actually fairly common.
The Moon becomes full within a few hours of its closest approach to
Earth about once a year on average. The
last such coincidence occurred on March 19th, 2011, producing a full Moon that
was almost 400 km closer than this one.
As usual, no trouble was reported--unless you count a midnight awakening
as trouble.
If so,
close the drapes on May 5th. Otherwise, enjoy the super-moonlight.'
