(Newser)
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The biggest and brightest full moon of the year will grace the skies tonight. The "supermoon," which occurs when the moon is nearest Earth in its orbit, will appear only slightly smaller than last year's, which was the brightest full moon in nearly 20 years. It will become full at 11:35pm but there's no need to keep the kids up late to see it, notes USA Today: The best time to view the huge moon will be just after it rises in early evening.
The bright moon is expected to wash out light from the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which peaks today, NASA says. The close approach to Earth also will cause the moon to exert more tidal force than usual, an effect that British authorities blamed for the stranding of five ships last year. The Awl, meanwhile, thinks the moon is getting a swelled head with all this attention.
