Full Moon … tonigh!!
The summer skies will light up July 12, 2014 with our third super moon of the year. This will occur July 12 at 11:25 UTC. A supermoon is a new or full moon that occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. That’s a generous definition, which is why there are so many supermoons!
What did astronomers call these moons before we called them supermoons? They were called a perigee full moon, or a perigee new moon. Perigee just means “near Earth.”
A super full moon occurs when the moon’s closest approach to the Earth (lunar perigee) coincides with the phase of full moon. When this happens the moon may seem bigger and brighter. However, for the ordinary star-gazer there will be no significant difference.
Full moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern…
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