A friend pointed me to this BBC article about tonight's full moon. It seems that tonight's full moon event will occur when the Moon is the closest it's been to the earth (during a full moon) in 15 years.
Well, methinks. A perfect time to get out the photography and telescopy equipment and capture this event.
But wait. This is Winter. In Canada. In Edmonton. Before we head out to the great white north, let's do a bit of research to make the most of the event.
When will the full moon occur?
According to the helpful chart at Edmonton's Telus World of Science, the Moon will rise at 3:53 pm and set at 9:12 am the next day. Since the Sun will be setting about the same time, great twilight illumination of any surrounding clouds or landscape will occur. Similar resources can be found at Skymaps.com, Astronomy.com and SkyAndTelescope.com.
What about the clouds?
Of course, to actually see this full moon, cloud cover should be at a minimum. Unfortunately, according to the Clear Sky Chart for Edmonton, overcast conditions are predicted. Charts for your region may be found at ClearDarkSky.com
Click the image for the full size version
So. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be doing something other than taking pictures of the moon this evening. Hmmm, Rock Band 2 anyone? 
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