Tonight,
the
Moon
is about as big as it will ever get thanks to the fact that the Moon
is at perigee, a point in its orbit that is closest to Earth.
What
many people may not realize is the fact that the Moon (and all other
celestial bodies) do not orbit their parent bodies in circles, but
ellipses, which are slightly elongated circles. Result: any given day
of an orbital period, any orbiting body will be at a slightly
different distance from its parent body. As for the Moon, this
variance in orbit amounts to about 20,000 miles.
As for tonight, the Moon will be about as close to Earth as it is going to get. When it comes to practical implications, the difference will be hard to notice with the naked eye to all but an experienced observer but, in a telescope, the difference will be obvious.
As for tonight, the Moon will be about as close to Earth as it is going to get. When it comes to practical implications, the difference will be hard to notice with the naked eye to all but an experienced observer but, in a telescope, the difference will be obvious.
No comments:
Post a Comment