Biggest full moon for two decades

[StarryEyes]

Just seen this on Yahoo.

World to see biggest full moon in two decades - Yahoo! News UK

Due to happen on 19th March

[Horus]

Thanks for the heads up Gemma , hope we get some clear skies around our neck of the woods

Rich

[Stephen]

@peoplesastro (Mark Thompson) said on twitter today it's only going to be about 2% bigger than normal

Twitter

Of course he may be wrong, he was adamant I would see the ISS / Discovery pass last night (despite NASA saying it wasn't a visible one ...)

[Horus]

Somebody's got it wrong then ?

[callump]

True story, but not at all noticeable.

Debunked here: Supermoon Nonsense Dark Sky Diary

Callum

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Will have to set me observing things outside that day hope weathers clear skies.

[Astromart]

Looking forward to it - clouds permitting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[John]

I think this thread is about the same topic ?:

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/133602-super-moon.html

[reddoss]

Just seen this on Yahoo.

World to see biggest full moon in two decades - Yahoo! News UK

Due to happen on 19th March

Yes the moon will be slightly closer than it's average distance from earth on the 19th March, but in terms of observing it will make very little difference than any other full moon.

This is yet another example of media sensationalism!

There was a very similar story circulating the internet about Mars a few years ago (ie it was going to appear much larger in the sky than it normally does), which of course was a load of tosh.

[brianb]

Yes the moon will be slightly closer than it's average distance from earth on the 19th March, but in terms of observing it will make very little difference than any other full moon.

Yet another example of the media sensationalism!

'Fraid so ?8-(

[simon955]

I see so many poorly researched articles on astronomy these days. Has it always been like this? or is poor astro journalism a recent thing?

I'll measure the moon with a pair of vernier callipers in an outstreched hand, do you think it will be even 1mm larger then usual?

[brianb]

is poor astro journalism a recent thing?

Not really, but the internet "helps" ... Some people sold their homes thinking the world was going to end when the earth passed through the "poisonous vapours" of Comet Halley's tail in 1910. Now that's a good example of double nuttiness: firstly for being conned into the tale of doom, and secondly for thinking that it was even worthwhile to sell up: I mean, what is your corpse going to do on a dead planet with a pile of money, however large?

If you want another example of real nuttiness, look up what some idiiots are saying about Comet Elenin ... which might just about reach naked eye visibility ...

... it just takes a slack news day, a semi-educated journalist and a few pints of "liquid inspiration" to create a shock-horror end-of-the-world scare ... and a few gullible people to believe it.

The real pity is that the genuine, well-researched threats - like climate change - get ignored. Sometimes I wonder whether the more lurid scares are created deliberately as a distraction, and so that the "special interests" who are driving global warming can point to scares that don't meterialise as an excuse for carrying on the activities which give them short term gain but inevitably result in long term pain for all of us.

... and if you to see how the lunar diameter changes over time, download the (free) "Virtual Moon Atlas".

[Rob L]

I see so many poorly researched articles on astronomy these days. Has it always been like this? or is poor astro journalism a recent thing?

Astronomy seems to be in fashion at the moment which I think is the cause for most of these type of stories.

[Vega]

Yeah, lots of sensationalism in this field, kinda gets annoying. I guess If it gets more people out looking that otherwise wouldn't, its a good thing.

Hope its a crisp clear night so I can see it on the horizon.. I just love the optical illusion.

Matt

[Hig]

ironic if you read that link about the relation to earthquakes, after todays disaster just a week before..

[StarryEyes]

I know, and now (I've heard, dont know if its true) they are saying that there is another expected on Thursday.

Also its been suggested that the earthquake could have shifted earth on its axis.

Look here:

BBC News - How the quake has moved Japan

[callisto]

Hmmm, I see that the Sun paper has claimed it was the first to tell everyone about the "BIG MOON" and the events to follow, ie the earthquake

[brianb]

its been suggested that the earthquake could have shifted earth on its axis.

It's not a suggestion, it's a fact .. the shift is about 10 cm, the pole is continuously shifting mostly due to seasonally varying distribution of land ice but jumps of a few cm are commonly associated with large earthquakes ... there was a similar shift at the time of the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake/tsunami event, and a smaller one last year associated with the Chilean earthquake.

Nothing of significance.

[Earl]

If only the media could be taken to court for spouting utter tosh, they would never be out of the dock

[Ghost66]

i asked Mark Thompson on twitter about the shift he said "An earthquake cannot alter the direction in space the axis points but it can move plates on Earth so axis 'seems' to have moved"