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See The Supermoon Tonight
watermark writes "About every 28 years a 'supermoon' occurs. This is when the moon's orbit is closest to earth at the same time as a full moon. Saturday night will be the biggest, brightest full moon you will see in the next 28 years."
The buzzkills at Space.com explain though that (For North Americans at least) you'll actually only be seeing a "waning gibbous moon," but it should still be spectacular.
Does anybody research these things?? It's not that THAT unusual. Slashdot is turning into Digg.
Do a Google search on "supermoon hype" and read the links!
Arrrggghhh
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The best popular link I could find is from Phil Plait's "Bad Astronomy" blog:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/03/18/kryptonite-for-the-supermoon/
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So the moon spins around us in an ellipsis, where it's closest to us at perigee and furthest at apogee. Apparently it's blamed for the tsunami [dailymail.co.uk]
Well, if it's in the Daily Mail it *must* be true...
Actually, I'm not convinced that's the real Daily Mail. If it was, it would mention that the Japanese earthquake was caused by illegal benefit-scrounging immigrants to the UK, and that it stands a real chance of affecting house prices here. Oh yeah, and that we're all going to die from the 0.5cm-high remainder of the tsunami when it hits the UK and the only solution is this week's wonder food that'll let us all live to 179.
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Heh, this reminds me of when Mars came close back in `03.
http://www.v-r-a.org/ppp/Mars/Mars.htm
Folks quickly started misquoting the prediction and saying that Mars would appear larger than the full moon to the naked eye. Websites started yelling at the space programs of the world to launch rockets, wanting to put men on Mars "while it was closer than the moon".
People believe anything these days.... Would anyone like to buy some anti-radiation pills? Only $800 a box.
... and pointed at my sexy neighbor's window while everyone is distracted by the SuperMoon
Apparently it's blamed for the tsunami.
Yeah, and everyone was blaming it on the earthquake. But it was the moon all along! And he would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for that meddling kids!
You are waaaay off. The Japanese earthquake as well as the Haitian earthquake are all caused by the LHC to set in motion the end of the world in 2012 when the LHC will finally give birth to a black hole as well as a planet and a wormhole which will hit the earth and change it's direction of rotation. East will become sunset and nobody will survive except a U.S. family (obviously from L.A.). This family will also stop the attack of the invading aliens pouring through the wormhole. It's all out there. Just read the news.
From Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Facebook post (http://www.facebook.com/#!/neiltyson): "SuperMoons? A hoax spread by the under-educated on the under-informed claiming the Moon causes quakes. Saturday's full Moon is also closest to Earth in its oval orbit. Perigee happens once per month. Full Moon+Perigee coincide every 2 or 3 years. Last one: Dec 2008. Size? Saturday's moon is 7% larger than average. The difference between a 15 & 14-inch pizza. You are now better informed than the Press."
Here's a time-lapse of the Moonset setting over the Colorado Rockies in early/2010
I may venture out at O-dark-30 to shoot it again this year to see if it truly looks any bigger.
Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
But it is called a supermoon, by definition. Perhaps the name is misleading to those who don't know what it is. There will certainly be a supermoon tonight.
What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
That was either
1) a typo
2) bad math
Option 1 is the less embarrassing one..
For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
Yeah, the last time this happened was as recently as 2008, according to the article. The moon was five miles closer than it will be today.
It appears this event happens every 3 years of so. Not that big a deal. Astronomy is fun but I like my boss's attitude, when he goes telescope-gazing: "My neighbor's wife walks around naked and never closes the curtains. That's where the real show is at." ;-)
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Alright bunratty... you win... THIS time
(Thomas skulks off to his volcano hideaway)
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Stupid things and mistakes are submitted to Slashdot on an hourly basis. Blame timothy for actually posting it to the front page.
No, if you want authoritative debunking you must consult an ASTROLOGER: http://www.findanastrologer.com/Latest/supermoon-hype
The US government have made it clear that we have no inalienable rights; any we do not defend vigorously will be taken.
I did the calculations, and the volume of New Jerusalem that is described as descending to Earth toward the end of Revelation is roughly half the volume of the moon. Thus the "moon turning to blood" earlier in Revelation is, in fact, New Jerusalem breaking out of its lunar shell and beginning its descent through the atmosphere.
It was based on a germ of truth: Mars was to be the closest to earth and brightest in a century a couple of Augusts ago. But by the time it got garbled in the New Age Media, some people expected Mars to be bigger than the Moon and a sign of the apocalypse. And for some reason this idea gets revived every August now.