Super Moon May 2012

Super Moon May 2012, The largest full moon of the year will be seen on May 5 when the moon reaches its Lunar Perigee, the period of time when it is closest to Earth.

The full moon is expected to appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon, reported the Examiner. The moon is expected to reach perigee at approximately 11:34 p.m. on Saturday. One minute later, the Moon will line up with the Earth and become extraordinarily bright.

The moon follows an elliptical path around the Earth. One side, known as the perigee is approximately 50,000 km closer to than the other side, the apogee, according to NASA. Full moons that orbit on the perigee side of the Moon’s orbit are brighter and bigger than any other month. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is approximately 238,000 miles. However, when it is is in perigee on May 5, it is expected to be approximately 221,802 miles away.

Last year’s super moon, which occurred on March 19, 2011 was approximately 221,567 miles from the earth, reported RTTNews.