Supermooning

Mark your calendars. Saturday night is supermooning time, a drop-your-drawers phenomenon that occurs when the full moon reaches its closest approach to the earth—a distance of 221,802 miles away. The ultra bright orbit should make for some killer covert mousing opps… not to mention big tides, with 42 percent more tidal force through next week.

Via msnbc.com: This month’s perigee is the closest of any perigee in 2012 (they vary by about 3 percent, because the moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular). The result will be a 16 percent brighter-than-average full moon accompanied by unusually high and low tides this weekend and into the new week.

And one final note: Saturday also marks the midpoint of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The exact moment between the March equinox and the June solstice occurs at 10:11 a.m. EDT May 5.  And this spring’s big full moon seemingly places an exclamation point on this seasonal benchmark. Traditionally, the full moon of May is known as the “Flower Moon” since flowers are now abundant most everywhere. It is also known as the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.

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