The XO Directory

In case you haven't noticed it, the full moon last Friday, Dec 12 is the year 2008's biggest full moon. This is because the moon is nearest to the Earth on that day (and night) as a result, it will be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the other full moons this year.

Fullmoon in the dark night (Source)

Earth, the moon and the sun are all bound together by gravity, which keeps us going around the sun and keeps the moon going around us as it goes through phases. The moon makes a trip around Earth every 29.5 days. But the orbit is not a perfect circle.

The moon's average distance from us is about 238,855 miles (384,400 km). Friday night it will be just 221,560 miles (356,567 km) away. It will be 14 percent bigger in our sky and 30 percent brighter than some other full moons during the year, according to NASA.

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