Supermoon May 2012

Composite of two images

The Moon’s distance from the Earth is not always the same due to the elliptical shape of the orbit and variations in the gravitational attraction between the Moon, Earth and Sun.

When a full moon occurs close to the perigee (opens in a new tab) of the Moon (a point of its closest approach to the Earth) and its distance from our planet is much smaller than the usual one, then we can observe a “super moon” phenomenon.

Although every year there is from 4 to 6 super moons, not all are the same powerful, neither by the intensity nor by the duration of their effect. It has caused many discussions in scientific circles about the full moon on May 6, 2012 which is going to be one of the most powerful in years.