Smallest Full Moon on 12 October 2011

The smallest full moon in the year 2011 comes during the night of 12 October 2011 in India and 11 October night in America. It will be the smallest, farthest full moon of 2011. It lies more than 400,000 kilometers (252,000 miles) away, in contrast to the moon’s average distance of about 384,000 kilometers (239,000 miles).

The moon will reach the crest of its full phase tonight (in america) at 9:06 p.m. CDT - that is 2:06 Universal Time on October 12. Like the Harvest Moon - which occurred last month on September 11/12. Some think the Hunter's and Harvest Moons are the biggest full moons of the year. But not so with tonight's Hunter’s Moon, which is the smallest and farthest full moon of 2011.

Farthest and closest full moons recur in regular cycles. The closest full moon comes seven lunar months, or the seventh full moon, after tonight's farthest full moon. Then the farthest full moon comes seven lunar months after the closest full moon.

For the next seven lunar months, the full moon will come progressively closer to Earth. Seven full moons after today's full moon, the closest full moon of the cycle will fall on May 6, 2012. On that date, the full moon will be closer than 222,000 miles. Then seven full moons after the May 6, 2012, full moon, it’ll be the farthest full moon all over again on November 28, 2012.