Supermoon tonight

[Bob Of Burleson]

By Martin Weil
The Washington Post

The moon that rises ... on Saturday night will be what has come to be called a “supermoon” — only hours from being perfectly full and hours from one of the year’s closest approaches to Earth.

The combination makes for a moon that appears bigger and brighter than usual, even for a full moon. In addition, because the moon always looks larger as it rises, moonrise Saturday night may show off a moon that appears about as big, bright and round as the moon can get.

The moon will rise in the southeast at 7:36 p.m. Saturday. The silvery orb will sail west across the dark heavens through the night and early morning before setting in the southwest at 6:20 a.m. Sunday.

Experts warn that without special equipment it may be difficult for the average skywatcher to assess the moon’s brightness or size. But a supermoon last year was reported to be about 15 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the year’s run-of-the-mill full moons, and many people may consider themselves capable of spotting a 30 percent boost in brightness.

[GRANDPA]

Cold-hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colours from our sight
Red is gray and yellow white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion?