early-onset-of-night:

BIGGEST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR WILL OCCUR THIS WEEKEND

The moon will officially become full Saturday, May 5th at 9:35 p.m. Mountain Time. This is also when the moon will be closest to Earth, called the lunar perigee. Whenever the moon’s fullness coincides with its perigee, we have what has been nicknamed a ‘supermoon’.

Cool, huh?

But, wait, there’s more. Not only does the moon’s perigee coincide with the full moon this month, but this perigee will be the closest to Earth of any this year. In other words, it’s the perigee of perigees. Of all the times in 2012 that the moon will be closest to the Earth, this time will be the closest of all. It’s the closest of close moons. As it passes overhead in the dark sky, bulbous and bright, you will be able to to hear a slight whooshing sound.

For reals.

Because of all this closeness and fullness, the moon will be 16% brighter than normal, so eye protection may be necessary.

The last supermoon occurred in March 2011. That’s it in the picture above, taken by a guy named Tim McCord. Look how fucking close it is. Jesus.

The best way to view this month’s supermoon is by stepping away from your computer and actually going outside to look at it, and the best time to do that is just after it rises or just before it sets. It will appear even bigger then, filling the whole sky with its cold, creepy moonness.

Yay!

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May 5th? That was last weekend, you stupid shit.