Super Moon Coming Saturday

PHILADELPHIA - If you happen to look up at the sky Saturday night, you might notice that the moon looks super big, and there’s a good scientific explanation for it that astronomers are dubbing a “super moon.”

On Saturday night, the moon will be full and on its closest elliptical approach to the earth since last year. That means we’ll be seeing the full moon from about a 10 percent closer distance than we usually do, so the moon will look that much bigger. NASA scientists are calling it a "super perigee moon."

Franklin Institute Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts spoke with Fox 29 and gives a great explanation, and also debunks rumors circling the Internet that the moon is connected to recent geological events, such as the earthquake in the Pacific. However, he said it could affect tides.