Sky-watchers around the world enjoyed a special event on Friday night, as they could see the brightest and biggest full moon of this year.


The moon appeared to be 14% bigger and 30% brighter than any other full moon in 2008 due to the fact that, this time, the celestial body was at its perigee. The perigee is the point where the moon is closest to Earth.

Scientists were also thrilled by the event. Director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, Ed Krupp, explained that the event was special because “typically we don't have the full moon phase and perigee coinciding at the same time.” Also, it’s worth mentioning that last night’s lunar perigee was the closest since 1993. At that time, the moon was 221,560 miles from Earth.

The full Moon perigee also affected the Earth’s tides. Ben Burress, astronomer at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, stated that not only the small distance between Earth and the moon heightened the tides, but so did the alignment between the Sun, Earth and the moon. Yet, the effect was only of a few inches tide increase and a bit more in stormy areas.

Astronomers say that most observers remarked the enhanced brightness of the moon only. Our cosmic neighbor also appeared to be larger than it really is, especially at sunset, although it is not known what causes this perceptive illusion.

The phenomenon was visible from any place on Earth. Special equipment was not needed, “just clear skies”, as astronomer Krupp stated.