Moon apogee/perigee

Your photo of NGC 1432 is in the March "Astronomy Now" magazine (page 96).

Thanks John. I have a multi-yr subscription to Astronomy Now and one of the reasons is that they are very good with their contributors. I also like the magazine in general, for it is very educational and occasionally spurs an idea or two for me surrounding imaging projects.

I need help whenever my work appears in Sky At Night and Astronomy & Space, for I never receive feedback from the editorial desk(s) that my work will be appearing in their issues. I must rely on the goodwill of friends that something has appeared.

That's an interesting question Paul.

The brightness difference between the closest and most distant Full Moon is hard to judge but one can apparently be measurably brighter than the other.


Thanks John. It's not often i post anything of relevance/importance/interesting.

I ignorantly assumed that the closer to the earth the moon is (lets call it being hidden from the sun)...........the less the natural sunlight shining on it would be because it is "being hidden behind the earth".......................thus the surface of moon is not reflecting as much sunlight as it would when it is further away (and less hidden behind earth from sunlight).

The only factor that stops all i have said from being a lunar eclipse (which it DOES sound/read like) is the fact that the moon wobbles in its orbit.

The wobble of the moon in its orbit around earth is not something i really understand and i am one of the people who think "so why isnt there a total lunar eclipse every month?"

This i assume would happen if the moons orbit around earth was circular and the moon didnt wobble.

There really is soooooooo much more to the moon to try and understand then just observing it and thinking "wow look at those craters".

Observe moonrise over a couple of hours and you'll notice the colour of the disk change from a deep golden yellow through to chalk white as the Moon rises higher in the sky. When low down the moonlight passes through a thicker cross-section of our atmosphere, filtering out the bluer wavelengths of light. Higher up and the light is passing through less murky air. The same effect is happening as with the setting sun ranging through yellow, orange, and blood-red.

This i know and have seen more times then i have had hot dinners.

As Seanie said..................i guess the difference is all about the different conditions both pics were taken..................but the difference sparked an idea/thought in my mind....................so i thought i would ask.

If you dont ask.....you will never know.

Thats what i LOVE about this place....................NO question is too stupid and we can all learn from others understanding and know how maybe more then we can with books.

Feel better soon Anthony. I picked up a head cold (or something) on the night of the eclipse even though i was wrapped up.

Paul,

The answer to your question in described fully at www.perseus.gr/Astro-Lunar-Scenes-Apo-Perigee-2005.htm ... happy reading.

Its not the size of the moon i wonder about but the colour.

I have read so many explainations of why the moon appears bigger when just above the horizon and to be honest.....................i still cant grasp the concept.

So i dont question it any more. It is what it is.

I even know that the moon takes on different colours as it rises due to the fact the light from it is coming through different layers of thickness of atmosphere and polution.

I just thought there may be some scientific reason for the differing colour between when the moon is furthest away from earth and when it is nearest.

"So much to understand.................so little time".

To make matters even more confusing the full moon is MUCH brighter than it should be if albedo measurments taken during other phases are used as a guide.

This is due to a phenomenon called "Coherent Backscattering" of light from particles of lunar soil.
See:
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n21_v143/ai_13797782

As far as I know, this phenomenon was first explained by Ewen A. Whitaker .
( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewen_Whitaker )

Its not the size of the moon i wonder about but the colour.

Precisely and you will find the answer on the page I referred you to earlier.

I'll give it a read. I read the explaination before but not really understood it.