Perigree Moon

Last month's full Moon over many viewpoints was particularly radient, and it looked bigger than usual. That's because it was the biggest full Moon of 2008 a perigee Moon, 14% wider and 30% brighter than the smallest full Moons of the year.

It's going to happen again at the beginning of 2009.

On Saturday night, Jan. 10th, another perigee Moon is coming. It's the biggest full Moon of 2009, almost identical to the one that impressed onlookers in Dec. 2008.

Johannes Kepler explained the phenomenon 400 years ago. The Moon's orbit around Earth is not a circle; it is an ellipse, with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. Astronomers call the point of closest approach "perigee," and that is where the Moon will be this weekend.

Perigee full Moons come along once or twice a year. 2008 ended with one and now 2009 is beginning with another.

Another magic moment happens when the perigee Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. 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. This weekend, the "Moon illusion" will amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with because of the Parigree

At perigee, the Moon is only 360,000 km away!

Celestial Body of Three

Celestial Body of Three
Originally uploaded by CollegeRocker

Occurs a few times w/planets Venus & Jupiter with our moon to form a 'Smile face.' Next time to view such a planetary formation is Nov. 18th 2052!

Jupiter And Venus

Jupiter + Vénus
Originally uploaded by ComputerHotline

Jupiter And Venus close enough to be captures in one frame during the evening.

Orion Nebula

dec 30 2007 telescope073
Originally uploaded by AustinDad

The Orion Nebula is one of the most scrutinized and photographed objects in the night sky, by beginners in Astronomy as well as professionals in the field. That's because the Orion Nebula has revealed much about the process of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust. Astronomers and beginners have directly observed protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, intense and turbulent motions of the gas, and the photo-ionizing effects of massive nearby stars in the Orion Nebula.

Harvest Moon

There's been a harvest moon recently, followed by a strange first quarter that puzzled some amateur astronomers but it's perfectly normal for this time of year.

Total Eclipse August 1st

The total eclipse of the Sun tomorrow will only be visible to those who can be in the arctic circle more or less, but look back here afterwards for some stunning pictures of the Solar eclipse

South side of the Moon with named craters

Sud de la Lune
Originally uploaded by ComputerHotline

Showing the craters of Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus, Arzachel, Rupes recta (the right wall), Bullialdus, Regiomontanus, Hell, Walter, Tycho, Maginus and Moretus. You might have to click though to the Sud de la Lune ( South of the Moon ) photo on Flickr to see the individual craters named with notes.

The Night Sky with moon

picture by bluemeanie

Full Moon rising over Devoran Creek

THEOPHILUS

THEOPHILUS
Originally uploaded by ComputerHotline

THEOPHILUS.--The most northerly of three of the noblest ring-mountains on the visible surface of the moon, situated on the N.W. side of the Mare Nectaris. It is nearly 64 miles in diameter, and is enclosed by a mighty rampart towering above the floor at one peak on the E. to the height of 18,000 feet, and at two other peaks on the opposite side to nearly 16,000 and 14,000. The border, though appearing nearly circular with low powers, is seen, under greater magnification, to be made up of several more or less linear sections, which give it a polygonal outline. It is prominently terraced within, the loftier terraces on the E. rising nearly to the height of the crest of the wall, and including several craters and elongated depressions. On the E. glacis is a row of large inosculating craters; and near its foot, S.W. of Madler, a short unrecorded rill- valley. The magnificent bright central mountain is composed of many distinct masses surmounted by lofty peaks, one of which is about 6,000 feet above the floor, and covers an area of at least 300 square miles. Except a distinct crater on the S.E. quarter, this appears to be the only object within the ring.

The Moon and Pleiades

Lune + Pleiades
Originally uploaded by ComputerHotline

The Pleiades, also known as M45, the Seven Sisters, SED, or Subaru (in Japan), is an open cluster in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters, and is probably the best known, and is certainly the most obvious to the naked eye. It is sometimes referred to as the Maia Nebula, perhaps erroneously considering that the reflection nebulosity surrounding Maia is intrinsic.

The cluster is dominated by hot blue stars which have formed within the last 100 million years. Dust that forms a faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster, but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud that the stars are currently passing through. Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years, after which it will have dispersed due to gravitational interactions with its galactic neighborhood.