Supermoon This Weekend  by Nancy Atkinson on May 2, 2012   A
'side by side' comparison of 4 different shots taken over the
period of 30 hours before the March 19, 2011 'SuperMoon'. It
shows the progression of Moon in its orbit until the closest
point. Credit: Ramiz Qureshi, from Karachi, Pakistan.  This
weekend will provide the full Moon’s closest approach of the
year to Earth. On Saturday, May 5, 2012 the Moon could appear as
much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons of
2012, according to some calculations. Will you notice it? Not if
you haven’t really been paying attention, or have a reference
point to compare it to other full Moons. And it certainly won’t
have any adverse effects on Earth, as this closest approach
happens every year — just a fact of orbital mechanics. But
perhaps a great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo is to spend the
evening gazing at the Moon!    David Morrison, from NASA says
“supermoon” is not an astronomical term and he confirms a
supermoon has no effect on Earth, and t