by Anthony Ayiomamitis
Did anyone notice anything unusual last night's full moon? If not, well, it was at its greatest apogee for the year and at a distance of about 406,357 km which is just shy of its maximum possible distance.
Earlier this year we had precisely the opposite scenario where January's full moon was at the minimum perigee for all of 2010 at a distance of about 356,790 km. In other words, the apparent diameter of the full moon between these two extrema over seven months varies by around 14.5% and which is quite noticeable by eye. That's what happens when your orbit is not circular but elliptical.
Technical Details:
Date: Jan 30, 2010 (00:31:28 UT+2) and Aug 25, 2010 (01:26:33 UT+3)
Location: Athens, Greece (38.2997° N, 23.7430° E)
Equipment: AP 160 f/7.5 StarFire EDF, AP 1200GTO GEM, Canon EOS 350d, Baader UV/IR-Cut
Exosures: 2 x 1/320 sec, ISO 100, RAW Image Format, 3456x2304 Image Size, Manual Mode
Further details are available here.