Has anyone looked at the moon tonight?

[LaurenG]

I just went out to look at it because it's so bright. It looks odd and it's shpaed in an oval. I wonder what makes it look so odd? Anyone know?

[Fridays Child]

1. Probably atmospheric distortion.

That's my lay guess, anyway. :)

[undergroundpanther]

2. Beginning to wane.

and the atmosphere is my guess.

[LaurenG]

6. from where I am it's shaped almost like a football

Wasn't the full moon 2 days ago or so? I guess all the humidity is distorting it. Optical illusion.

[bluetrain]

3. I saw it earlier when I was walking. It was huge, golden and seemed so

close. I guess that's all optical illusion but it was really striking.

[OneBlueSky]

4. it's frowning . . . trying to tell us something . . . n/t

.

[Swamp Rat]

8. It's Planet Calvin!

[RoyGBiv]

5. Close ...

It's very close to the Earth right now, relatively speaking. It won't be this close again for two years.

[LaurenG]

7. Thanks for the information

I have never seen it look like this. Very interesting.

[sandnsea]

10. More please

I didn't know the distance between the moon and earth changed. I always wondered why some full moons were so big and bright.

[PA Mamma]

9. Alright...

You made go out and look - my butt thanks you.
And then I just had to google this:

The Full Buck Moon - July July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month's Moon was the Full Hay Moon.

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/fullmoonnames.html

[magellan]

11. Here in FL they're calling it a Thunder Moon

I'd never heard it called that before but with the weather we get mid-summer it makes sense.

The SE is also due to get the remnants of a Saharan sand storm any day now, which might account for how unusually orange the moon looks down here tonight. Don't think it will affect OH though.

[wli]

12. ominous omen of Bush's autogenocidal intentions

He is determined beyond all hope, beyond all reason, beyond all humanity to torture and sodomize and kill us all. We must impeach him now before we ourselves are subjected to the horrors of Abu Ghraib.

[Wetzelbill]

13. I haven't, no

[T Town Jake]

14. At 30,000 feet the moon looked AWFULLY big...

...earlier tonight. Usually don't even notice, but after we landed I mentioned this and everyone agreed. Plenty big from the ground, also.

[PDittie]

15. It is as close to Earth as it will be until 2007

Someone posted this in a thread yesterday.

edit: found thread, added link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4169479

[kentuck]

16. I was looking at it sitting on the shoulder of Pikes Peak...

about noon yesterday. I was wishing I had my camera to take a photo...