Supermoon Tonight, Explained, June 23rd Supermoon

On Sunday the 23th of June, the moon will be at its closest point to Earth during a phenomenon known as the perigee. This event occurs as the moon enters its fullest phase, creating the appearance commonly referred to as the supermoon. During the perigee, the moon will adorn the night sky and appear up to 12% larger than usual.

"It doesn't matter where you are, the full moon you're seeing will be the biggest for 2013," said Michelle Thaller, the assistant director of science at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. “That 12 percent size different can mean as much as a 30 percent change in the brightness, so this will be a particularly bright supermoon."

The supermoon is expected to be viewable by everyone across the world, granted the weather is permissible. The moon is expected to be rising from the east around sunset. It will appear huge and low on the horizon before rising into the night sky, bright and unable to be missed. The June 22-23rd weekend is expectedto be the ideal opportunities for viewing the moon.

Supermoons occur annually, only on one occasion every year. 2013 is touted as one of the better years with the moon being closer than it has been in the recorded past. 

"The closest the moon gets can actually vary much as much as the diameter of the Earth," Thaller said. "That seems like a pretty big number, but the moon is actually 30 times the diameter of the Earth away from us. If you line up 30 Earths, that's about the average distance of the moon away, but as it swings a little bit closer to us, that distance can vary."

Live webcasts of the supermoon in various locations can also be seen on the space.com official website, beginning on Sunday at 9pm EDT, courtesy of the online Slooh Space Camera.

Source: http://www.bazics.net/2013/06/biggest-full-moon-of-2013-explained.html#ixzz2X4FuVl6l