The full moon on the 30th January will occur only three hours before perigee (the point where the moon is closest to earth). This will be the closest full moon of 2010.
On top of this, the earth is at perihelion at the moment (the point where earth is closest to the sun), so the moon will also be extra bright.
Calculations show that the moon should be 33 arcminutes and 30 arc seconds (just over half a degree) in size.
While you’re at it, put a reminder in your calendar to photograph the moon on the 24th August – this is a full moon at apogee (the point where the moon is farthest from earth), where it will appear to be only 29 arcminutes and 24 arcseconds in size.
When you take your photos, I suggest noting down the zoom, iso, shutter speed and aperture so you can compare both the size and relative brightness with August.
1 Comment