Tonight's Full Moon Will Be Brightest of the Year

If you've got a clear sky, try scoping out some lunar topography
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 29, 2010 2:25 PM CST
Tonight's Full Moon Will Be Brightest of the Year
A full moon is seen in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010.   (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)

If you’re planning to do something moonlit in the near future, tonight might be the night. The full moon tonight will be the biggest and brightest of 2010. If you have a clear sky, the so-called wolf moon offers a great chance to see if you can spot the satellite’s easy-to-see features, Space.com suggests.

The reason for the phenomenon is that the moon’s orbit is elliptical, so it paasses closer to earth at some times than others. Tonight it’ll be at the closest point in its orbit, an event that coincides with a full moon only once or twice a year.
(More moon stories.)

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