Does the Supermoon Look Different Depending on Geographical Location?

[theitcrowd]

Hi Everyone,

Okay with the recent Supermoon , or simply the moon being closest to the Earth so far, just wondering it didn't seem really big , it looked very slightly larger than usual , is this because of my geographical location? Did the supermoon look different from different geographical locations?

I live in India by the way

Take care

 

[Drakkith]

The moon only looked slightly bigger than normal, with the most difference being when the moon was low on the horizon due to an optial illusion. I looked at the full moon as well, and I could not tell the difference in size from its usual size, but it did seem noticeably brighter to me. The difference in distance from the Earth when the moon is at its closest point and its furthest point is not very large for the scale of the earth-moon system. The perigee (closest point) of the moon in its orbit of the Earth is 363,104 km, while the Apogee (furthest point) is 405,696 km. This is an 11.5% difference from min to max distance, and about a 5% difference from the average.

Edit: Just read a little bit on this. The moon is definitely bigger at its closest point, but since this happens gradually across a months time you won't notice it.

 

[Radrook]

Excerpt:


A perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system or "supermoon" is a full or new moon that coincides with a close approach by the Moon to the Earth. The Moon's distance varies each month between approximately 357,000 kilometers (222,000 mi) and 406,000 km (252,000 mi) due to its elliptical orbit around the Earth (distances given are center-to-center.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermoon


406,000 km - 357,000 km = 49,000 kilometer closer
252,000 mi-222,000 mi = 30,000 miles closer

Excerpt:
The supermoon of March 19, 2011 (right) compared to a more average moon of December 20, 2010 (left), as viewed from Earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Supermoon_comparison.jpg

 

[Pengwuino]

A quick googling found this comparison. I'm not sure how accurate it is but it's worth taking a look at I suppose.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alv168/5547057454/

 

[Radrook]

A quick googling found this comparison. I'm not sure how accurate it is but it's worth taking a look at I suppose.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alv168/5547057454/

The sure looks like a hell of a big difference doesn't it? Yet I never noticed this difference. Did you?

 

[Jack21222]

Hi Everyone,

Okay with the recent Supermoon , or simply the moon being closest to the Earth so far, just wondering it didn't seem really big , it looked very slightly larger than usual , is this because of my geographical location? Did the supermoon look different from different geographical locations?

I live in India by the way

Take care

Maybe you just fell into the media hype that this would be some crazy event.

 

[Pengwuino]

The sure looks like a hell of a big difference doesn't it? Yet I never noticed this difference. Did you?

Well the problem is I have no idea when that photograph was taken.

Wikipedia has a nicer image with the actual orbital distance noted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermoon

Maybe the image I linked was taken when the Moon was furthest away.

It may seem like a big difference, but I think it would be impossible to notice for yourself. I think if you walked outside right now, looked up at the sky and drew a mental image of what you think the Moon SHOULD look like and were able to later compare with what it actually looked like, you would be way off! Personally I know I wouldn't be able to notice the difference in something I rarely look at and only for a second or two when I do.

When you have both pictures right smack dab next to each other, the difference is obvious, but I can't really blame anyone for not being able to see the difference.

 

[ideasrule]

Next time, try looking at the moon when it's near the horizon. Wait a few hours and look at it again when it's high in the sky. The apparent size difference is HUGE! The Moon looks enormous when on the horizon, and unbelievably tiny in comparison when anywhere else. This "moon illusion" certainly overwhelms any effect that a close approach could have.

 

[Pengwuino]

I did a fun little back of the envelope calculation and being able to tell the difference between the Moon at closest approach and the Moon at the average distance would be like looking at the Sear's Tower and being able to determine if you're 5 miles away from it or 5.1 miles away.

 

[PhanthomJay]

It is difficult to notice the difference in a full moon at apogee vs. a full moon at perigee, without a side by side comparison. I've been watching the full moon for the past 6 months, both when it is on the horizon and overhead. When on the horizon, the appearnce of the moon is enlarged due to the the 'moon illusion', which is an optical illusion that has many explanations, all different, and which has yet to be satisfactorily explained. I watched the rising 'supermoon' at the vernal equinox last month, fully expecting it to appear huge due to the combination of both its closeness to Earth and the optical illusion effect near the horizon. But while I was able to note its apparent largeness, because I've been staring at the darn thing every month, it was far from being as huge as other full moons I've seen over the years on the horizon. And someday, I'll find that huge moon again, and with no explanation, report that finding on this forum. Stay tuned!