Tonight's Full Moon Will Be an Oddly Shrunken 'Micromoon'

[mfcorey1]

Tonight is the full "Worm Moon," but it might not be that impressive. Heck, you probably shouldn't even bother glancing up. Due to an alignment of phase and distance, the lunar orb could look weirdly shrunken, like a gray, moldy apple forgotten on the counter.

That's because the moon is baring it all at its farthest point from earth—about 31,000 miles more distant than 2015's other full moons. The rocky satellite's orbit is elliptical; when it's at perigee closest to the planet, it can look bigger, and when it wanders to its most-distant apogee it can seem smaller. When it reaches its full phase at apogee some folks call it a "micromoon." That pop-culture term distinguishes it from its opposite partner, the "supermoon," an astrological bugbear supposedly responsible for earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. (That's rubbish, of course.)


http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/tonights-full-moon-will-be-an-oddly-shrunken-micromoon/ar-BBig5jZ?ocid=mailsignout

[elleng]

1. OK, Thanks, haven't thought to look, too cold, snowed all day,

but better tomorrow.

[betsuni]

2. I saw it rise yesterday in the early evening before dark and it was beautiful.

A friendly orange face peering through dark skeleton tree branches. Overcast today, though.

[elleng]

3. I did catch it, at 6:15 am,

between the trees:

[el_bryanto]

4. It's really going to rough on the Werewolf community - bad enough growing fur and fangs

but when you shrink down to a foot tall due to this micromoon nonsense - i'll just say, most werewolves will be staying home tonight.

Bryant

[zappaman]

5. People always talk about solar power, but never lunar power!

When the moon is full, it is putting out a lot of light!
Why can't we harness this?
Does anyone know if someone is already working on this technology?

[lovemydog]

6. Because the light you see from the moon is the sun's rays.

You're seeing the sun's rays bouncing off the moon.

[zappaman]

7. No it's really bright!

Last night it lit up my neighborhood.
Think of what we do with that!

[hifiguy]

8. IIRC, there are some particularly cretinous fundys

who insist that the moon gives off its own light and does not simply reflect the sun's light. The instrument has not yet been invented that can measure that kind of cosmic-scaled stupidity.

[zappaman]

11. Well, my eyes work fine!

And last night, I could see everything thanks to the moon and it's light.
I get really angry when people say we should blow it up.

[philosslayer]

14. Do you have a link?

Referencing anyone in the last 100 years who's said that? I'd love to read it.

[hifiguy]

16. It may have been a clip right here on DU

recording the idiocies at some school board meeting down south. I will see if I can find it.

But here is another doozy to keep you amused: http://www.creationtips.com/light_sun.html

I repeat, how can people this irredeemably dumb remember to put on their pants each day?

ETA: Fundies/literalists/creationists interpret the moon as being an independent source of self-generated light. All I've found is a rebuttal to this dopeyness here: http://atheism.about.com/od/Errors-Mistakes-Genesis-Bible/a/Errors-Genesis-Light-Moon.htm

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. I did once spend a drunken walk back from the pub debating

the size of parabolic mirror needed to toast a slice of bread. We decided it was damn big.

[NightWatcher]

9. To be fair, it's kinda cold out.

Haven't you heard of shrinkage?

[FSogol]

10. Thanks Obama!

[Hekate]

12. I didn't notice anything except it was really bright. There was enough moisture that we had dew...

...and everything seemed to sparkle.

Then I went inside because it was quite chilly!

I'll look more closely tonight.

[madinmaryland]

13. I thought this was going to be a thread about Barry Bonds or

A-Roid.

[niyad]

15. shrunken or not, she was cold and beautiful last night.

[edbermac]

18. I hold Tom Brady responsible for this.