The March 2011 full moon will be bigger and brighter than usual. Because of the elliptical nature of the moon's orbit, the moon tonight is at its closest point (perigee) to the earth. The "perigee moon" is about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the normal full moon.
The perigee moon is occurs every twenty years or so, making it even rarer than the famed blue moon which occurs every two-and-a-half years. This may make it a little too rare to be part of ordinary conversation. We hear "once in a blue moon" fairly often, but I can't recall ever hearing "once in a perigee moon."
The March full moon is also referred to as the "sap moon" or the "worm moon" from Native American observations of earthworms first appearing above ground and the sap beginning to rise in the trees.
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