What kind of picture is this? This is our very own Moon! Why then does it look so weird? Well, this picture is actually how big the Moon appeared in June 22, 2013 and January 15, 2014. Are you saying the Moon changes its size? Nope, it can't change its size but it can appear that way. Now let me explain this a little more. The Moon revolves around the Earth however, not in a perfect circle. Just like all the planets in the solar system, the Moon's obit is slightly elliptical shaped, or it has the eccentricity of 0.05 (that is a very slight ellipse). Since its orbit is not a perfect circle, there are times where the Moon is farthest away from Earth (apogee) and when it is closest to Earth (perigee). Of course, the farther away something is, the smaller it seems, which is why the full Moon on January 15 was smaller than usual, although the change is not significant, just 50,000 kilometers farther away than it was in perigee. Although you might have missed out on the apogee the next time the Moon is at this position will be March 5, 2015. Write that down in your calenders and see if you can see a difference in the Moon!
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