Biggest Moon of 2010
There's something about a full moon that still gets people interested in what's above this earth and what explorations are still left unexplored.
Looking up at the sky this evening and star gazers will be rewarded with the biggest full moon of 2010. Additionally, the full moon will have a little bonus to it — Mars. The red planet will present itself just to the left of the moon.
According to Native American tradition, January's full moon is also called the wolf moon.
The 2010 wolf moon will appear 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than any other full moon this year, because our cosmic neighbor will actually be closer to Earth than usual, according to a National Geographic report.
The moon will be at its closest proximity to the earth for 2010 at 4:04 a.m. ET Saturday, reaching a distance of 221,577 miles (356,593 kilometers) from Earth.
At its farthest from Earth, the moon is said to be at apogee. Perigee (closest) and apogee each happen generally once a month, but the moon's wobbly, oval-ish orbit means that the satellite's exact distance at each of those events varies over the year. The moon's phase can also be different during each apogee and perigee, according to the National Geographic report.
As coincidences would have it, Mars will be at opposition tonight directly opposite to the sun. So as the sun sets in the southwest, Mars rises in the northeast.
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