Supermoon

A supermoon, is the coincidence of a full moon (or a new moon) with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, or perigee, leading to the technical name for a supermoon of the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The association of the Moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the supermoon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. However, the evidence of such a link is widely held to be unconvincing.

The biggest full moon of 2012 — dubbed a "supermoon" by some — will light up the evening sky Saturday. Anyone with clear skies and a view to the East should get a good view of the seemingly large full moon as it rises will have the moon some 14 percent larger than normal and 16 percent brighter than an average full moon.

The moon will be full officially at 11:35 p.m. EDT Saturday (May 5). But it will appear full for many hours on either side of that exact moment. And the most interesting time to see the full moon is when it rises, which occurs around sunset, regardless of where you live.

The last supermoon occurred in March 2011.