Monday 13th to Sunday 19th June 2022
Nothing in space is a perfect circle. The orbits of planets around the Sun are all elliptical or "egg shaped" to a greater or lesser degree. The same is true for the Moon that orbits around us.
The Moon takes just over 27 days to complete one orbit and at different times it is slightly closer and further away from the Earth. The closest it ever gets is 363,000 Km or 225,000 miles in old money and this point is called "Perigee". The furthest point is called "Apogee" and then it is 405,000 Km or 251,000 miles away from us. If you forget which is which, just remember that at Apogee, the Moon is "apologising" for being so far away!
On the evening of Tuesday 14th there is a Full Moon. If you go outside a little before 11pm, the Moon will be rising over the horizon towards the south east. This particular Full Moon is known as a "Supermoon" because it occurs near Perigee when the Moon is closest to us.
There is also an optical effect called "Moon Illusion" which occurs when the Moon is close to the horizon - your eyes and brain play a trick on you and make the Moon seem artificially large.
Of course, a bright Full Moon is the ultimate source of light pollution, so it is not the best time to go hunting for faint deep sky objects, but it is a great chance to spot some of the larger, more obvious lunar features.
I have provided a diagram of these, courtesy of Wikipedia and most will be visible without even resorting to binoculars or a small telescope. In fact, you are better off not using a telescope because a Full Moon can be painfully bright without a special filter in your eyepiece.
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2022
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