The Moon

Our Moon stands out in comparison to other moons in our solar system in that it so large in comparison to its host planet – 27% the size of the earth, making it the fifth largest satellite in our solar system with a diameter of 2,159 miles. Many scientists consider the earth-moon system to be a twin planetary system. The Moon orbits the earth with a period of 29 days. The Earth-Moon distance varies between 238,855 miles at closest approach (perigee) to 252,623 miles at its maximum orbital distance (apogee).

With an orbital period of 29 days, a full moon usually occurs at least once in each calendar month. In the rare cases where two full moons fall within a calendar month, the second full moon is called a “Blue Moon”.

A full moon is labeled a “Super Moon” when the full moon occurs within a few days of the moon’s closest approach to earth. The apparent diameter of the moon at perigee is 14% larger than at apogee and the increase in its brightness can be as much as 30%.

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In this photo of the Moon the color saturation has been boosted to highlight the subtle color differences on the surface which denote the various geologies to be found and the ejecta from the many meteor impacts on its surface.
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Photos of the total lunar eclipse on march 3, 2026 (2:50am-5:02am). Clouds rolled in during the early part of the eclipse but soon cleared out. I also had to deal with dew forming on the lens surfaces. Small images were taken through a 150mm telephoto lens while the larger images were taken through my 9.25” telescope. The next total lunar eclipse that will be visible from North America won’t be until June of 2029. You can Click on the individual images for a larger view.

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A time lapse showing the Progression of the eclipse.
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“Blood Red Moon” – Lunar Eclipse – Sept 27, 2015
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A “Super Moon” is when a “Full Moon” coincides with the Moon being at perihelion (the point in its orbit orbit which brings it closest to earth).
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“Super Moon” Rising
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An occultation is an event where one body passes directly in front of another body effectively eclipsing it. The Moon, being such a large body and moving fairly rapidly through its orbit, occults many stars but an occultation of a star visible to the naked eye is a fairly rare event.
For a particular occurrence it may only be visible from a limited swath of the earth or take place during daylight hours, further reducing the opportunity to observe the event. The photo above shows the occultation of the 1.0 magnitude star “Aldebaran” (Alpha Tauri) as it is about to be occulted by the dark-limb of the moon – the Moon being only 83% of full at this time.
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The photo above shows Aldebaran emerging from the bright-side of the moon approximately one hour later.
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Some prominent lunar features. Photo taken with 100mm refractor and a 2.5x Barlow lens.
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