WeatherWise: Weekend Full Moon Biggest Since 1993

The moon will look bigger and brighter this weekend by 10% - 15%. Saturday's full moon will be a super "perigee moon" -- the biggest in 18 years. The last full moon as large and as close to the Earth happened back in March, 1993 and won't happen again for another 20 years or so.

The moon's orbit has an elliptical shape. When a moon is at perigee, it is about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to Earth than when it's at the farthest point of its orbit, known as apogee. Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the moons that occur on the apogee side of the moon's orbit according to NASA.

Look for this full moon rising in the east at sunset this weekend starting around 7pm EDT. Low-hanging moons look especially large due to a phenomenon known as the "moon illusion", not particularly understood by scientists. Read more at CNN.

[Photo: Curt Renz, Arlington Heights IL]

Read More in: General News | Space Weather

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