<p>Yes, they probably use a telescope if it's <em>much</em> bigger.</p>

<p>The 'super' refers to the fact that the moon is closer to the earth than normal during a full moon (it's near to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsis" rel="nofollow noreferrer">perigee</a> in its orbit), but the human eye cannot see the difference between the moon size an hour before and an hour after the perigee.</p>

<p>Also, there's a phenomenon called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_illusion" rel="nofollow noreferrer">moon illusion</a> which makes the moon appear larger near the horizon, which might or might not be the case in your situation.</p>

<p>Incidentally, the fact that it's a blue moon has nothing to with it; that's just the moment it takes place on the calendar.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-31T15:15:07.890Z
But during the eclipse, it's not possible that the moon appear smaller, right?
Kenneth Kho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-31T15:25:32.170Z
No, the distance to the Earth stays the same. The reduced brightness *might* have an effect, but to my eye, brighter objects look smaller, not larger.
Glorfindel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T06:45:00.857Z
why the moon was red in colour ??
Gauti
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T06:54:40.180Z
@Gauti see https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/2166/7472
Glorfindel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-31T14:48:58.387Z
2018-01-31T14:48:58.387Z
Glorfindel
<p>To complement what Glorfindel said, the term "super Moon" is quite hyperbolic, since the apparent diameter of a super Moon is only about 6.5% larger than that of a regular full Moon, so you would barely notice the difference anyway!</p>

<p>About the super Moon you saw on TV, they might just have used a telephoto lens, as explained in this thread: <a href="https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/34517/how-do-people-shoot-very-large-moon-views">Large Moon photos using telephoto lens compression</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T05:42:12.687Z
2018-02-01T05:42:12.687Z
Romain P.
<p>Is it normal that super blue blood moon is much smaller than before the eclipse? If so, why? I'm quite positive it's not cloudy here. On my TV, they broadcast a live super blue blood moon from the 4th floor, and it looks big and red. You think they use a telescope?</p>

<lunar-eclipse>
Apparent size of the super blue blood moon
Kenneth Kho
# Apparent size of the super blue blood moon

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-01-31)

Is it normal that super blue blood moon is much smaller than before the eclipse? If so, why? I'm quite positive it's not cloudy here. On my TV, they broadcast a live super blue blood moon from the 4th floor, and it looks big and red. You think they use a telescope?

**Tags:** lunar-eclipse


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-01-31. Score: 1

Yes, they probably use a telescope if it's *much* bigger.

The 'super' refers to the fact that the moon is closer to the earth than normal during a full moon (it's near to the [perigee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsis) in its orbit), but the human eye cannot see the difference between the moon size an hour before and an hour after the perigee.

Also, there's a phenomenon called [moon illusion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_illusion) which makes the moon appear larger near the horizon, which might or might not be the case in your situation.

Incidentally, the fact that it's a blue moon has nothing to with it; that's just the moment it takes place on the calendar.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: But during the eclipse, it's not possible that the moon appear smaller, right?  
> **username_1**: No, the distance to the Earth stays the same. The reduced brightness *might* have an effect, but to my eye, brighter objects look smaller, not larger.  
> **username_2**: why the moon was red in colour ??  
> **username_1**: @username_2 see https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/2166/7472  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2018-02-01. Score: 1

To complement what username_1 said, the term "super Moon" is quite hyperbolic, since the apparent diameter of a super Moon is only about 6.5% larger than that of a regular full Moon, so you would barely notice the difference anyway!

About the super Moon you saw on TV, they might just have used a telephoto lens, as explained in this thread: [Large Moon photos using telephoto lens compression](https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/34517/how-do-people-shoot-very-large-moon-views)


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