“Super Moon” on the Rise

It will appear as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter.

A "Super Moon" is set to rise in the east this Saturday in a rare lunar event.

Called a super "perigee moon," the orbit of the moon will bring it closer to the earth than it's been in nearly 20 years. Scientists say it will appear as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter.

Cross your fingers for a clear night sky. There is rain in the Bay Area forecast.

"The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC, told NASA Science News. "I'd say it's worth a look."

To the observer, a full moon varies in size due to its elliptical orbit around the earth. One side of the ellipse (perigee) is closer to the earth than the other (apogee).

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To get the full effect, NASA says the best time to look is when the moon is near the horizon.

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