Supermoon!

It is strange to think that the moon is not always the same distance away from us.  We see our world as a place of symmetry - circles, squares, ying/yang.  However the natural world sometimes throws in ovals and ellipses.  The term 'supermoon' was created in 1979 by Richard Nolle and is defined as a new or full moon phase that is within 90% of it's closest approach to the Earth (perigee). Today was a special 'supermoon', the closest to the Earth that the moon has been since 1948.

Last September, we were able to observe a supermoon that coincided with a total lunar eclipse.  This caused the effect known

as the "Blood Moon" here in Portland.  During this supermoon, the Earth's shadow was aligned with the moon for a short period of time.  The Earth's shadow allowed only the longest wavelengths of light from the sun, reds and oranges, to bend through our atmosphere and reach the moon's surface.