Smallest, farthest full moon on May 19
(Credit: Vox Efx. Some rights reserved.)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Tonight’s full moon is the smallest and farthest full moon for all of 2008.
In the course of one month, the moon’s distance from Earth varies by about 50,000 kilometers – that’s 30,000 miles. Tonight, the full moon is also farthest from Earth for the month. That’s why tonight’s full moon is the smallest full moon of the year.
Around the world tonight, the full moon lights up the night from dusk till dawn. The precise moment for this full moon is 2:11 Universal Time on May 20. For the Central Time Zone in North America, that places the full moon at 9:11 p.m. this Monday evening.
Full moons recur in periods of about 29.5 days, but the moon returns to the farthest point in its orbit every 27.5 days. This variation will cause the full moons to come a bit closer to Earth and to loom a bit larger in our sky with every passing month. Seven full moons after the one tonight, we’ll see the closest and largest full moon of 2008 on December 12.
By the way, tonight’s full moon is the 3rd of 4 full moons to fall between the June solstice and the September equinox.
Copyright 2008 EarthSky Communications, Inc.
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