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Ever since the dawn of mankind, the moon has exerted a powerful grip on our imaginations. Its proximity to our planet, its changing shape and its extraordinary beauty have all had a profound impact on our culture.‘Oh swear not by the moon, the fickle moon, the inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circle orb,’ wrote Shakespeare in the 16th century, reflecting this long-held fascination with the cycles of our nearest satellite.
That fascination will be intense again tonight, because the moon will be closer to Earth than at any time since 1992 — and will therefore appear in the sky to be much bigger than usual.
Magical moment: A statue of an angel fixed at the St Isaak's Cathedral is silhouetted by the rising moon in St Petersburg, Russia, last night. Tonight's super moon will be even more intense. The best time to view it is in the early evening
The moon’s orbit around the earth is extremely complex, following an elliptical, or oval, pattern as opposed to a circular one. That means that at different stages, it can be significantly closer or farther away from us.
At a lunar perigee — the word used to describe the point when it is at its closest to the Earth — the moon is about 220,000 miles away. Whereas during a lunar apogee — when it is farthest away — the distance is about 254,000 miles.
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