Biggest full moon of the year – this Saturday night!

The largest full moon of 2012 happens this Saturday, but it’s OK if you don’t really notice. The moon doesn’t really get bigger, it just gets closer to Earth. At 8:40 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, according to the Griffith Observatory Sky Report, the moon will be at its closest point in its orbit to the …

How close does an object have to be to earth to be pulled by gravity?

Pulled from Quora, here is one of the best, and most popular, answers to a question. Written by Mark Eichenlaub, a graduate student in physics. How close does an object have to be to earth to be pulled by gravity? This question doesn’t have a direct answer because, for lack of a less-direct way of …

Photo – the most volcanic body in our solar system – Jupiter’s moon Io

How big is Jupiter’s moon Io? The most volcanic body in the Solar System, Io (usually pronounced “EYE-oh”) is 3,600 kilometers in diameter, about the size of planet Earth’s Moon. Gliding past Jupiter at the turn of the millennium, the Cassini spacecraft captured this awe inspiring view of active Io with the largest gas giant …

Photos – lunar halo, water strider, and a septuple rainbow

Lunar Halo The beautiful circle surrounding the moon in this image is caused by ice crystals suspended in the air. Known as a paraselenic circle, this rare phenomenon comes from moonlight reflecting in complex ways off the crystals. While the circle is commonly only seen in sections, in some cases, such as this one, it can stretch …

What is the Dark Side of the Moon?

Does the Moon rotate? And if the Moon rotates, why do we alway see the same side – it never seems to change. Well, the Moon does rotate. In fact, the Moon takes 27.3 days to turn once on its axis. But the Moon also takes 27.3 days to complete one orbit around the Earth. …

Hot movies to see this summer

The line-up for this summer’s blockbusters is looking really good…if you’re a male geek. Here’s my top 11 (w/ trailers and release dates) Harry Potter – the final movie Cowboys and Aliens Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop Super 8 Rise of the Planet of the Apes Captain America Winnie the Pooh TrollHunter Mr. Popper’s Penguin Transformers: …