Heads up! Supermoon coming Saturday; 3 this summer

MALCOLM RITTER
AP Science Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The full moon on Saturday will appear to be unusually big. In fact, it will be a “supermoon.”

That’s the nickname for full moons that happen when our celestial neighbor is relatively close to Earth. That distance varies because the moon follows an elliptical orbit. When it’s close and full, it appears bigger and brighter than normal, although in fact the difference can be hard to detect.

If you see Saturday’s moon close to the horizon it may seem huge, but that’s just an illusion caused by its position in the sky.

Two other full moons this summer, on Aug. 10 and Sept. 9, are also supermoons.

It’s not all that unusual to have a supermoon. There were three in a row last year.

___

Online:

NASA on supermoons: http://1.usa.gov/1jxZkPt

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up