BRIGHTEST MOON

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29232, 16 June 1960, Page 10

BRIGHTEST MOON

Whangarei Report Corrected There are several reasons for believing that the moon will be bigger and brighter than on the nights of June 9 and 10, and at intervals very much shorter than the 607 years suggested in a recent Press Association report from Whangarei which appeared in “The Press,” according to Mr C. S. L. Keay, astronomical correspondent of "The Press.” Next month on the night of July 8, the moon will be even closer to the earth than it was this month, according to the Astronomical Ephemeris (the new title for the Nautical Almanac), said Mr Keay. “On looking back through old Nautical Almanacs one can find i many more favourable combina--1 tions of full moon and the moon’s perigee. For example on December 29, 1955, the full moon and perigee were less than four hours apart and the moon came i even closer to the earth than ;at any time during the year. “Furthermore, the earth and ’ moon are closer to the sun (perihelion) in December than in June, which would alone make 1 a full moon in Deqpmber tend to be brighter than a full moon iin June. Thus it is difficult to . see why this recent full moon was considered to be at all out of the ordinary. “Tn the final paragraph of the Whangarei report the terms perigee and apogee were interchanged.” [The paragraph stated. ine i combination of full moon with .apogee had been noted, observa--1 tory officials said. At its closI est apogee the moon was approximately 230.000 miles from 1 the earth. At its most distant j (perigee) it was approximately I 250.000 miles.”] “The closest orbital approach of a satellite to the primary about which it revolves is known in general as the peri-apsis. In the lease of the closest approach to the earth this then becomes perigee.” said. Mr Keay. “The moon’s perigee is approximately 221.000 statute miles, while its greatest distance, apogee, is 252.700 miles approximately. This is an increasei of 14 per cent.,” Mr Keay • concluded.