"Supermoon" pictures from Blackheath this evening

I think the 3rd images is the best.

Great pics, Mike!  Sure looks super 🙂 Considering the stormy weather we had today, thats great perseverance.   I personally never seen a supermoon yet 🙁

Aw but why do you hate calling it Supermoon?  I am noticing a big backlash from notable astronomers hating the reference of it being called Supermoon but why?  I like the name, isn't fancy names given to all sorts of sky phenomenons?  Sun Dogs, halos, green flash (to quote you, Mike 😉 ).  For DSOs we have Horsehead, Sombrero etc.

So whats with the recent venom towards Supermoon nickname?  To me, its catchy, it attracts attention to non nightsky enthusiasts with a possibility of piquing their interest in the night sky.  I like it, otherwise what is the alternative name?  It is the closest full moon of a calendar year, so

Closemoon?  yuk

Nearmoon?  yuk

ThatsNoMoonMoon....uh, probably too geeky

WTFMoon?  not quite family friendly

...Supermoon? ...yeah that sounds cool!

So as I understand, its upto 30% brighter and 15% bigger than the furthest Full moons, right?  <span style="font-size: 13px;">That deserves a little eccentricity in naming, methinks :)</span>

And Mike, your pics just rests my case, because they're super 🙂

Thanks Tej.

Understand your point, but I just like things to be called by their proper name... in this case, it's a perigee full moon, or a perigee syzygy. In that way, you know exactly what is causing the moon to be "super" (i.e. a perigee being the point in an orbit where an object is nearest the object it is orbiting... a syzygy being when the Earth, Moon and Sun are in a straight line). Not difficult, just entails learning a couple of words... and then you know more about he phenomenon that you're watching.

Anyway, glad you like the pictures... looks like the BBC agree with you. See here and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Shame they can't spell my name properly... oh well 🙂

Great photographs, Mike. I spotted your BBC fame and was about to post the link but you beat me to it 😉 (If it's any consolation the Financial Times once spelled my name three different ways in the same article.)

Tej, what about 'PeriPeri Moon' - then we can get our viewing events sponsored by Nandos.

Brian, you could always turn an annoyance into an opportunity for some fun: just look those people straight in the eye and say, "You mean you haven't got your escape plan prepared? You don't? Well, I for one intend to survive this supermoon! Sorry, mate - there's no room for both of us!"

And, Mike, you made it onto BBC One Breakfast!

Meanwhile, back on the BBC website, I do like that photograph of the moon with a "large meteor" passing in front of it. Amazing timing - except of course it's not really a meteor - it's a hole punched straight through the moon by the resurrected comet Shoemaker-Levy (which I just realised sounds like a cobblers' tax).

And, Mike, you made it onto BBC One Breakfast!

Wow! Think of the royalties!! Oh, wait...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-28735682. Guess who got a picture on BBC website?

Ha! won't all the royalties go to Mike Maynall? is he even a member?

Ha! won’t all the royalties go to Mike Maynall? is he even a member?

No, he's some tw*t who lets the BBC use his pictures for nothing. 😉