4 facts about Saturday's 'supermoon'

By Juliana Keeping AnnArbor.com Health & Environment Reporter

Posted on Fri, Mar 18, 2011 : 2:26 p.m.

Photo by Flickr user I am marlon

Look up Saturday to view the "supermoon" — the largest full moon in almost 20 years.

The skies will be clear to partly cloudy all day in Ann Arbor for the rare supermoon, but just after sunset at 7:45 p.m., conditions should be pretty good for a nice bright moon, said Dennis Kahlbaum, weather observer for the University of Michigan.

Here are 4 top ‘supermoon’ facts from the web.

1. National Geographic quips the moon may not look faster than a speeding bullet, but it will be the closest to earth in 18 years this Saturday.

2. Slate reminds readers to “howl accordingly” at the rare phenomenon, best viewed in the east just as it rises.

3. Boston.com delivers its supermoon news sans puns, and reminds readers the moon might seem close, but is actually 365,577 kilometers away.

4. The moon will look 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter because it’s a “perigee” moon, Dallas Morning News reports. That means the moon happens to be full while at the same time as close to earth as it can get on its oval-shaped orbit.

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