The largest full moon of 2014 rises tonight (Aug. 10), and even if you don't have a clear view of the sky, you can still catch the cosmic action live online.

August's full moon, a so-called "supermoon," rises when the natural satellite is at perigee — the closest point to Earth in its orbit. It is the second of three supermoons this summer, according to NASA

The online Slooh Community Observatory will offer a free live broadcast of the supermoon full moon tonight 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT). You can also watch the August supermoon webcast live on on Space.com, courtesy of Slooh.


While both July and September also play host to perigee full moons, this month's supermoon is the bigger and better than the others this year, according to one NASA scientist.

Sunday's full moon will be 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than the smallest full moon of the year.


One of the best times to see the supermoon is just after sunset tonight. "If you have a clear horizon, get out and check it out," Petro added. "It should be a great show. Of course, any time of night when the moon is high in the sky is a great time as well."
Source

August Full Moon Names From Native American and Other Different Cultures 


Joyful Moon (Hopi). First Acorns (Pomo). Ripen moon (Dakota). Dispute Moon (Celtic). Cutter Moon (Abernaki). Dog Days moon (Yuchi). Corn Silk Moon (Ponca). Harvest Moon (Chinese). Berry Moon (Anishnaabe). Women's Moon (Choctaw). Mulberries Moon (Natchez). Middle moon (Potawatomi). Freshness Moon (Mohawk). Yelow flower moon (Osage). Blackberry Moon (Wishram). Acorns Ripen Moon (Maidu). Wheat Cut Moon (San Juan). Black Cherries Moon (Sioux). Yellow Leaves moon (Kiowa). Edible Corn Moon (Agonquin). Young Ducks Fly Moon (Cree). Black Cherries Moon (Assiniboine). Dog Day's Moon (Colonial American). Autumn Moon (Taos Native American). Corn Moon, Wort Moon (Medieval English). Geese Shedding Feathers Moon (Arapaho). Feather Shedding Moon (Passamaquoddy). Dispute Moon (Full Janic), Harvest Moon (Dark Janic). Big Harvest moon, Heat Moon, Big Rippening Moon (Creek). Fruit Moon, Drying Moon, Last Fruit Moon, Grain Moon (Cherokee). Red Moon,Sturgeon Moon, Green Corn Moon, Dog Days Moon (Algonquin).

Get ready for a supersized moon. One of the biggest full moons of the year — a so-called "supermoon" — will light up the night sky on Saturday (July 12), but is only the first in a lunar triple-play this summer.

During this weekend's supermoon, the July full moon will appear about 30 percent brighter and 14 percent closer than a typical full moon. Last year, the full moon of June made headlines with its super luminosity. In 2014, skywatchers will see three supermoons this summer, one each during the back-to-back full moons in July, August and September.

Supermoons occur when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth, called "perigee," during its month-long orbit. On July 12, the moon will reach its full phase at 7:25 a.m. EDT (1125 GMT), just under three hours after reaching perigee. To the average observer, the moon can also look full in the day before and after the actual full moon date.

To the untrained eye, it can be difficult to spot the difference between a regular full moon and a supermoon. Even though a supermoon is 30 percent brighter, that extra shine can easily be masked by clouds. Also, with no point of reference, the orb suspended in the sky looks about the same size as an ordinary moon. (Source)


July Moon names from different cultures

Raptor Moon (Hopi).
Smoky Moon (Maidu).
Ripe Moon (San Juan).
Crane Moon (Choctaw).
Claiming Moon (Celtic).
Rose Moon (Neo Pagan).
Peaches Moon (Natchez).
Ducks Moult Moon (Cree).
Ripening Moon (Mohawk).
Grass Cutter Moon (Abernaki).
Buffalo Bellow Moon (Omaha).


Hungry Ghost Moon (Chinese).
Ripe Squash Moon (Algonquin).
Raspberry Moon (Anishnaabe).
Salmon River moon (Wishram).
Mead Moon (Medieval English).
Middle Summer Moon (Ponca).
Middle Summer Moon (Dakota).
Red Berries moon (Assiniboine).
Young Corn Moon (Potawatomi).
Buffalo Bellows Moon (Arapaho).
Wild Red Cherries Moon (Sioux).
Corn Popping moon (Winnebago).
Ripening Moon (Passamaquoddy).
Horse Moon, Ripe Moon (Apache).
Summer Moon (Colonial American).
Dropping Deer Horns Moon (Kiowa).
Ripe Corn Moon, Hay Moon (Cherokee).
Sun House Moon (Taos Native American).
Claiming moon (Full Janic), Blessing Moon (Dark Janic).
Little Harvest Moon, Blackberry Moon, Little Ripening Moon (Creek).
Hay Moon, Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Summer Moon (Algonquin).
Other Moon names : Grain Moon, Meadow Moon, Blood Moon, Wort Moon, Blessing Moon, Fallow Moon

Supermoon Saturday has come and gone. But supermoon photos are still here for those who missed seeing the dazzling lunar display in person and those who simply want to see how things looked elsewhere in the world. No matter which part of the planet the photos came from, they look pretty dramatic.

The supermoon was at its most super at 11:34 p.m. EDT, when the moon was about 221,802 miles away from Earth, the Associated Press reported. That's about 15,300 miles closer than average, making the moon appear about 14 percent bigger than it would appear if it were at its farthest distance during its elliptical orbit.

Some people were too busy indoors to see the supermoon. And in some areas, weather got in the way.

"Clouds are more scattered, but still obstructing views in some areas," the Washington Post reported in an 11:10 p.m. blog post.

The occurrence of the Supermoon, up to 30 percent brighter and appearing 14 percent bigger than other moons, is Saturday, May 5 at 11:54 p.m. eastern time. It happens as the moon reaches full phase and, at around the same time, makes its closest approach to Earth.

This post contains a compilation of Supermoon reader photos and international photos. Enjoy
Source 

If you missed it last year, the super perigee moon is back for an encore performance.Saturday's event is a "supermoon", the closest and therefore the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. The moon will come within about 221,802 miles (357,000km) of Earth, which is about 15,300 miles closer than average.
The annual 'supermoon' looks 14% larger than a normal moon, though astronomers say most people might not notice.

To get the best view, scientists recommend going somewhere as removed from city lights as possible. In Los Angeles, we have various supermoon-watching options, from the Griffith Observatory to guided hikes in the mountains to the Santa Monica ferris wheel.

Super perigee moons happen about once a year on average, but the moon of March 19, 2011, was nearly 250 miles closer than this week's moon, prompting wild calamitous speculations.

When the moon is on the perigee side of its orbit, it's about 31,000 miles closer to Earth than the apogee side. The only effects expected are slightly higher tides and many beautiful photos.













Photo Credit Bob West

The moon will officially become full Saturday (May 5) at 11:35 p.m. EDT. And because this month's full moon coincides with the moon's perigee — its closest approach to Earth — it will also be the year's biggest.

The moon will swing in 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from our planet, offering skywatchers a spectacular view of an extra-big, extra-bright moon, nicknamed a supermoon.

And not only does the moon's perigee coincide with full moon this month, but this perigee will be the nearest to Earth of any this year, as the distance of the moon's close approach varies by about 3 percent, according to meteorologist Joe Rao, SPACE.com's skywatching columnist. This happens because the moon's orbit is not perfectly circular.

This month's full moon is due to be about 16 percent brighter than average. In contrast, later this year on Nov. 28, the full moon will coincide with apogee, the moon's farthest approach, offering a particularly small and dim full moon.

Though the unusual appearance of this month's full moon may be surprising to some, there's no reason for alarm, scientists warn. The slight distance difference isn't enough to cause any earthquakes or extreme tidal effects, experts say.

However, the normal tides around the world will be particularly high and low. At perigee, the moon will exert about 42 percent more tidal force than it will during its next apogee two weeks later, Rao said.

The last supermoon occurred in March 2011.

To view this weekend's supermoon to best effect, look for it just after it rises or before it sets, when it is close to the horizon. There, you can catch a view of the moon behind buildings or trees, an effect which produces an optical illusion, making the moon seem even larger than it really is.
VIA Space.Com

In this video the full moon is seen as it rises, Sunday early morning, on March 20, 2011, in France. The full moon was called a "Super Perigee Moon" since it was at it's closest to the Earth in 2011. The last full moon that was so big and close to the Earth occurred in March of 1993. This celestial moon was shining brighter than ever and it was higher in the sky.


Moon Facts ~

1) It takes about 1.25 seconds for moonlight to reach the Earth.

2) A full Moon is nine times brighter than a half Moon.

3) All the Moons of the Solar System are named after Greek and Roman mythology, except the Moons of Uranus, which are named after Shakespearean characters.

4) The surface area of the Moon is 14,658,000 square miles or 9.4 billion acres.

5) Only 59% of the Moon's surface is visible from Earth.

6) The Moon is about a quarter of the size of the Earth.

7) When a month has two full moons, the second full moon is called a Blue Moon. Another definition of a Blue Moon is the third full Moon in any season (quarter of year) containing four total full moons.

8) The Moon rotates at 10 miles per hour compared to the Earth's rotation of 1,000 miles per hour.

9) The Moon's temperature ranges between 123º Celsius to 233º Celsius . It's really hot where the sun is shining and really cold where it's not.

10) Unlike the Earth, the Moon does not have a significant magnetic field, and it has no atmosphere.