Massive 'perigee' moon to pop eyes tomorrow night

by Steven Mostyn - Mar 18 2011, 14:16

If you’re lucky enough to enjoy clear weather on Saturday night, chances are you might look up and experience a momentary rush of fear upon thinking that the moon is about to smash into the Earth.

We exaggerate, of course, but the fact remains our sole orbiting neighbour is expected to appear unusually large in the night sky during a period known in astrological circles as a ‘perigee moon’.

More notably, tomorrow’s eye-popping celestial flyby will present the largest perigee moon in almost 20 years, making it an event well worth the viewing according to experts.

A perigee moon is positioned at around 50,000 km closer to Earth than when it is moving through its furthest orbit, which is known as an ‘apogee moon’.

That being said, Saturday’s moon will still be around 357,000 km away.

According to Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, the last time a perigee moon passed this close was in 1993—this writer recalls being physically shaken at the time, driving alone down the highway as an uninformed 20 year-old.

Those eager to see the event for themselves should attempt to catch the moon as it rises in the east at sunset, which is when it will appear its largest.    

So, mark your iPhone calendar fellow science and technology lovers, because the next major perigee moon won’t be swinging around again until 2029.

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