the super moon
the super moon?
The close approach combined with a full face-on to earth/sun was supposed to make the moon appear unusually large when captured just above the horizon (i.e., moon rise). Unfortunately for central Mainers living in the woods, getting an image without spending time to travel to a more appropriate viewing spot is problematic. If you are lazy, this is what you end up with: a bright light poking through the trees.
I strolled down to the shore, which faces east. The Super Moon did not impress. Unfortunately, there was a low layer of clouds off in the distance so perhaps the initial effect was marginalized. (Once upon a time, driving east toward Dallas just after sunset, I saw a moon rising that appeared to be – see http://www.howstuffworks.com/question491.htm – at least four times as big as would be when high in the sky; that was impressive.) At midnight, it did seem to be a bit brighter.
The near horizon position here was obscured by terrain and trees, but even at ten to twenty degrees above the horizon, I have seen dramatic autumn moons which were bigger and redder than normal; this one was surprisingly average.