Tonight’s Super-Moon Kicks off a Trio of Lunar Events
2017 has been a very exciting year as far as lunar phenomena go. We had a partial lunar eclipse on August 5th, but that was overshadowed (pun intended) by the huge solar eclipse later in the month, and a couple of lesser eclipses back in February. If you are a Moon-nut, the fun isn't over yet - the one-and-only super-moon of 2017 comes tonight!
Our friend Luna will look 16 percent brighter and 7 percent bigger compared to a normal full moon due to a closer proximity than we are used to. The Moon's orbit around the earth is slightly elliptical, so every so often we get a much more up close a personal view of our home planet's only natural satellite. If you are looking for a romantic outdoor setting, tonight is the night!
Space.com is calling this the kickoff of a Super-moon trilogy, as a pair of fantastic lunar events are on the horizon. Coming January 1st, you will have a chance to bask in the magic view of another super-moon (on New Year's day no less). The final performance in this particular moon trifecta will be the most spectacular of all. The January 31st super-moon will occur during a lunar eclipse. Not only will it be big and beautiful, it will also change colors from it's normal pale and quite bright visage into a ruddy red-brown as it passes through the shadow of the earth and only illuminated by the light reflected off of our planet.
Happy Mooning!