Did you see last week's full Moon? It was unique. Why? Because no two full Moons are exactly alike. To prove it, Paolo Bardelli of Sumirago, Italy, photographed the last 12 full Moons and stacked the pictures to highlight their differences:
"From each full Moon photo, I cut out a slice, then placed the slices side by side," explains Bardelli. "The Moons of Jan. 10th and June 5th are dark because they are taken from shots of the penumbral eclipses that occurred in those days."
None of the slices are the same. Some are wide, others narrow. Each one faces in a slightly different direction. These differences are a result of the Moon's motion around its tilted, elliptical orbit. Each full Moon occurs at a different point in that orbit, and so we see it from a slightly different distance and angle.
Scroll up and down past the slices; they seem to rock back and forth. The rocking motions are called libration; because of them we can see 59% of the Moon's surface rather than the 50% you might have learned in school. So pay attention to the next full Moon (Jan 28th). It's as unique as you are.
www.spaceweather.com
None of the slices are the same. Some are wide, others narrow. Each one faces in a slightly different direction. These differences are a result of the Moon's motion around its tilted, elliptical orbit. Each full Moon occurs at a different point in that orbit, and so we see it from a slightly different distance and angle.
Scroll up and down past the slices; they seem to rock back and forth. The rocking motions are called libration; because of them we can see 59% of the Moon's surface rather than the 50% you might have learned in school. So pay attention to the next full Moon (Jan 28th). It's as unique as you are.
www.spaceweather.com
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