Peteff
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| posted on 18/3/11 at 08:46 PM |
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Supermoon
Just had the spotting scope out to look at the moon and tomorrow will be at it's closest for two decades, couldn't wait though as the sky
is so clear tonight.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Guinness
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| posted on 18/3/11 at 09:06 PM |
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Good isn't it.
Brilliantly clear night here.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 18/3/11 at 09:23 PM |
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Nice clear sky tonight - so perishing cold! Screen was frozen when I went to the pub at 8:00 this evening.
Too much light pollution to have a proper look-see at the sky where I live - Ipswich's orange glow in one direction, Colchester's in the
other, and a white glow from Felixstowe docks at 90 degrees to both. My brother lives in between Inverness and Nairn, and the night sky there is
magnificent.
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Liam
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| posted on 18/3/11 at 10:43 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
Just had the spotting scope out to look at the moon and tomorrow will be at it's closest for two decades, couldn't wait though as the sky
is so clear tonight.
Er... it gets this close every 28-ish days 
All this 'super' nonsense means is that this particular orbit, the moon's closest approach just happens to coincide with when
it's full.
Still pretty cool, mind you.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 18/3/11 at 10:50 PM |
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you actually see the surface features clearer with a crescent moon as the shadows shows the shape of the mountains and craters better
Fame is when your old car is plastered all over the internet
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slingshot2000
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| posted on 18/3/11 at 11:28 PM |
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Just come in from walking the dog and blimey; never seen the moon so bright. "Pitch" is a black lab and I often loose sight of her across
the fields this late at night, but not tonight. I could see her almost like in daylight, except when she really got into deep shadows.
However, the moon looks tiny. I have often seen it much bigger than this.
I am looking forward to trying to catch it just over the horizon tomorrow night.
Regards
Jon
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Peteff
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 12:32 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Liam
Er... it gets this close every 28-ish days
All this 'super' nonsense means is that this particular orbit, the moon's closest approach just happens to coincide with when
it's full.
Still pretty cool, mind you.
These seem to think it's closer than it's been in 18
years, we'd better put them straight.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 12:46 AM |
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14% bigger than when at its furthest isn't really very much but tbh the seas do look a bit easier to make out without a telescope
interestingly when it looks huge at the horizon it's just an optical illusion as taken with a camera and measured it's infact no bigger
than when it's high in the sky, it just seems so
Fame is when your old car is plastered all over the internet
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Jasper
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 10:09 AM |
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Ohhh - I'll be out with the 8" refractor tonight 
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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andyd
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 11:28 AM |
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8" refractor? Blimey that's big for a refractor.
What make/model is that?
I made my own 10" reflector years ago. Trying to get around to re-making it to make it more portable. The original was a 4ft long Sonotube
(cardboard tube). Not easy to get in/out of the car
Andy
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prawnabie
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 12:26 PM |
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Ive put mine outside to acclimatise!
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coozer
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 12:58 PM |
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We're all doomed!
1972 V8 Jago
1980 Z750
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Peteff
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 03:33 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by coozer
We're all doomed!
Aye, permission to panic sir. 
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Liam
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 05:37 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
quote:
Originally posted by Liam
Er... it gets this close every 28-ish days
All this 'super' nonsense means is that this particular orbit, the moon's closest approach just happens to coincide with when
it's full.
Still pretty cool, mind you.
These seem to think it's closer than it's been in 18
years, we'd better put them straight.
Hmm someone from space.com ought to know better . It's just a perigee (point in moon's orbit closest to earth) and we get one of those
every ~28 days. Ok sure the actual distance at each perigee is slightly different, and this one is indeed about as close as they get (full moon
perigees, or super-moons if you must, always are), but we had one just as close last year (well almost - within 0.005%), closer in 2008, closer in
2005... these just didn't coincide with a full moon quite so perfectly - 2 and 4 hours apart in '08 and '10 instead of just one
tonight - not that that would make any difference to how full it looks to anybody. In fact, just about every year we get a close perigee full moon
that to anyone without serious measuring instruments looks every bit as 'super' as tonight's moon.
The only reason we have all the hype this time round is some idiot astrologer picked up on it, coined the phrase 'super-moon' and decided
to cash in on disaster and scaremongering by predicting moon-caused armageddon  . And the media are lapping it all up.
I'm not saying it's not a great night to go look at the moon. It will still look great - just pretty much the same as any other perigee
full moon. And we're in for a treat - next year we have a perigee a mere 2 minutes away from a full moon (so that must be a super-duper moon!).
In fact we have full moons within an hour of perigee (i.e. as super as tonight) for the next 5 years. Woo. Happy moon-watching
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Hellfire
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 06:30 PM |
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What's the best time to view it then?
Phil
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Liam
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 07:17 PM |
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Well perigee is pretty much right now (ten past 7 ish), and it was most full almost an hour ago. But dont worry, it's not moving very fast -
it'll look the same all night. And pretty much the same tomorrow night. Try catching it on the horizon to maximise the apparent size (due to a
trick of our brains).
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stevegough
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 07:40 PM |
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I've decided this thread needs a photo.....
......So I've nicked one of Mrs Fozzie's
 
May 21 2010
Luego Locost C20XE.
Build start: October 6th 2008.
IVA passed Jan 28th 2011.
First drive Feb 10th 2011.
First show: Stoneleigh 1st/2nd May 2011.
'Used up' first engine may 3rd 2011!
Back on the road with 2nd engine may 24th
First PASA mad drive 26/7/11
Sold to Mike in Methyr Tydvil 19/03/14
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stevegough
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| posted on 19/3/11 at 07:44 PM |
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That reminds me....I heard last week the Irish are going to put the first man on the SUN !!
They'll be alright......
......They're going at night !
[Edited on 21/3/11 by stevegough]
Luego Locost C20XE.
Build start: October 6th 2008.
IVA passed Jan 28th 2011.
First drive Feb 10th 2011.
First show: Stoneleigh 1st/2nd May 2011.
'Used up' first engine may 3rd 2011!
Back on the road with 2nd engine may 24th
First PASA mad drive 26/7/11
Sold to Mike in Methyr Tydvil 19/03/14
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02GF74
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| posted on 22/3/11 at 09:41 AM |
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can't be bothered with all that, I'm waiting fro the mega hyper moon.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 22/3/11 at 09:58 AM |
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And here's an example of the high standard of reporting we can expect from the British tabloids...
Daily Fail supermoon story
Never before has so much old cobblers been assembled into one page... 
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 23/3/11 at 02:10 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
What's the best time to view it then?
Phil
Night time
Didn't miss much, it's the moon but apparently a bit bigger and brighter... Does that mean all the loonies that come out at this time are
14% more d**kish?
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Never before has so much old cobblers been assembled into one page...
I take it they've made the page bigger then...
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