The largest full moon of 2013, a so-called “supermoon,” lit up the night sky this weekend, and we got to see it in a clear night in Sebastopol. The moon arrived at “perigee” — the point in its orbit bringing it closest to Earth, a distance of 221,824 miles.
The moon typically reaches perigee once each month, but this lunar perigee was the moon’s closest to Earth of 2013. And, the moon officially turned full at 7am on Sunday. The close timing of the moon’s perigee and its full phase are what will bring about the biggest full moon of the year, a celestial event popularly defined by some as a “supermoon.” The moon appeared about 12.2 percent larger than it will look on Jan. 16, 2014, when it will be farthest from the Earth during its apogee. Oscar: “Full Moon’s are cool.”
