“O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.” -Romeo & Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2
Tonight holds a full Moon in store for skywatchers everywhere. Not just any old full Moon, mind you, but a Supermoon, the last one of the year.
Image credit: John Gaughan / Pete Lardizabal / WJLA, via http://www.wjla.com/pictures/2012/10/daily-eye-wonder-november-2012/sup….
What makes a Supermoon so super? As it turns out, not a whole lot. But as far as the physics, astronomy and science of why-and-how the Moon appears to change -- sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly -- is concerned, there is a whole lot going on!
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Tomruen.
Come let Summer Ash guide you through the science of our inconstant Moon!
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"But now it's gettin' late
And the moon is climbin' high.
I want to celebrate
See it shinin' in your eye." -Neil Young
The full Moon, beautiful as it is, isn't really all that rare!
Blue Moon
You knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for... -Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
"The supermoon is a 16-inch pizza compared with a 15-inch pizza. It's a slightly bigger moon; I ain't using the adjective 'supermoon.'" -Neil deGrasse Tyson
The Sun stood still and the Moon stayed -- and hastened not to go down about a whole day! -Joshua 10:12-13