One night, up in Townsville, my family and I were going to the school for interveiws (I think), and when I got out of the car, lo and behold, there was a gigantic, red moon instead of the small white-ish one, that took up most of the sky. I was sort of weirded out. This happened a few years ago and a few years after this experience I heard that there was going to be a red moon or Mars was visible or something but this was much, much, MUCH smaller.

Any ideas what caused this?

Was it close to the horizon? The moon looks much larger when it's very close to the horizon. It's an optical illusion but you could swear it's actually larger. The redness might have been from dust or the Earth's atmosphere, if it were near the horizon, it would be more affected by both. Also when the Earth is causing a solar eclipse on the moon, it makes the moon go red.

Thanks but no, it took up nearly all of the sky, it was that large. It really looked like Mars had been pulled up right next to Earth.

what year was this?

im sure the Giant RED moon you saw was the King of the Gods

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and by far the largest.

IT is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined (the mass of Jupiter is 318 times that of Earth).

IT is the fourth brightest object in the sky after the Sun, the Moon and Venus.
It has been known since prehistoric times as a bright "wandering star".

Jupiter is just about as large in diameter as a gas planet can be. If more material were to be added, it would be compressed by gravity such that the overall radius would increase only slightly. A star can be larger only because of its internal (nuclear) heat source. But Jupiter would have to be at least 80 times more massive to become a star.

IT should be come back inline soon

http://www.nineplanets.org/jupiter.html

It could have been, but like I said before this moon took up most of the sky, it was that big. I think Jupiter is a bit too far away for that. This was in 2004.

What do you mean by took up most of the sky? About how many times larger was it than a regular full moon?

What I mean is it actually took up more than half of the sky, it looked quite literally like Mars had been pulled up next to earth.

It was the harvest moon - it happens every year and ...... it's size is an optical illusion, very well documented and somehow unexplained..... I saw a monstrous moon the other night (it was white) and it changed to just a great big moon on the way home......

Ohhh sounds beautiful! Did you get any pic's to share?

Oh, that could be it, but does the harvest moon go red and look as if it's right next to Earth and take up most of the sky, so much that when you look at it you can only see tiny bits of sky right in the coner of your veiw?

I just looked at images of the harvest moon on google image, and it is nothing compared to what I saw. The colour is right but it is much, MUCH to small!

YES it does! Look up harvest moon (I haven't but there must be loads on it) ------ oh no.... time has overtaken my post! I'm sure it was the optical illusion thing.... search some more............

and She-ra, I have not been prepared for pics ! but now you've mentioned it, I will be from tomorrow!!!

04 was the time jupiter was inline with the sun and 2012 will
be the next time but it will be even more of a whole inline

RED Harvest Moon over Columbus, Ohio

another
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifemagic/236862399/"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifemagic/236862399/

That is so far the best explanation, but from the imageson google image the moon is much too small.

Excellent luv! So glad to see you here... I've missed you - xo Red Rum thanks for the gorgeous piccy's Jody


Add: So the first one is DEF a red moon... the second, more yellow-ish is titled harvest moon. Is there a difference? Just curious.

Great pics, but once agani way too small. The Harvest Moon is the best explanation, but this moon was much bigger, when I said it took up the whole sky nearly, I meant it! Thank you for your responses so far.

I wonder if its to do with you being down under....... and us being in the top half?

Maybe, has anyone from Australia experienced this?

this should explain a lot, Harvest Moon NASA

Thanks, it looked like that moon, same colour, but it was much bigger, but then again I'm sure that in other places or closer to the moon or something it would look gigantic.

YEAH! Blueguardian- LOVED the read... thank you!!

I don't see how that would make any difference...

It would, maybe others didn't see this because of the position of the moon or Jupiter or whatever, or it's some complicated thing about lights and hemispheres or something like that that caused the moon to be so big.

I guess it would explain why others in the northern hemisphere didn't see it. But people down here would have.

Anyway, I could be wrong but I doubt it would make a difference.

Yeah, it might not make a difference, but I know I saw it and I know it was much bigger than these Harvest Moons.

that sounds very interesting. two things here. are you sure you're not over exaggerating it taking up literally half the sky and if so were you sure it was the moon? i'm thinking if the moon was that close you could see what only could be seen with teloscope with the naked eye. it must have been a magnificant view. i can't understand why somebody would suggest it was mars or jupitar....comthing that close? that would have made end of days headlines right there. if you're not sure it was the moon perhapts a u.f.o if indeed it took up half the sky.

this happend one halloween it was cool, i think its because the moon is so close to the earth that night and the atmuspere gives it a redish color

It's def the harvest moon, it can look much larger than on the pics on google. I saw one myself not long ago. Was HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE! So beautiful!!!! I think if mars had been pulled up next to earth we would all know about it. lol

The moon i saw wasn't red though but it wouldn't freak me out if it was, could just be smog, there's always an explanation for the sciency things!

I see the moon like this quite often, except much smaller than the one in the last picture. It ranges from orange to almost red in color. One night I was sitting in a car talking to a friend when I noticed the moon, it was normal size but was bright red. This was a little shocking, as I was staring at it within the next few seconds the red deepened until it was black and out of sight. I went in right after that, but I never saw it come back. Was it an eclipse and if so why didn't it come right back.

I've seen it look like it was about to collide with the end of my street. It all has to do with light rays and things as mundane as humidity in the air can magnify the moon.

Beautiful.

I doubt it was a UFO. It did take up over half of the sky, no exaggerations here, and it was red.

The first one was closest, but it was still much bigger than that. It was the same colour as the second though. I think it might just have been the harvest moon but somehow the Earth's atmosphere and the rays of light and sciency stuff like that made it look bigger.

Why can't I ever see anything interesting in the sky? The most interesting think I've ever seen in the sky is shooting stars..yeah, pathetic.

Man i want some of what you had that night, sounds pretty mental!

MERMAIDMAN!!!

hmm its all together possible.. yet not entierly likely, that you saw through the speed of light (had a future vision) and thats how the moon or mars might look in arounds 800 years! or however long it takes for the image to be projected to here on earth! interesting!... but thats just something i thought up on the spot! i like the sound of it!

-sam

Sounds like a Lunar Eclipse:





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse

Sorry about that



You know I am only 13.



Woah, that would be awesome!!! I like the sound of that as well!

Shame the moon is moving away from Earth and not towards it.

Perhaps you were dreaming, because what you are saying isn't logical. Or either you are exaggerating the size.

Nope, neither. My whole family saw it and it really did take up the whole sky.

http://2moons.acclaim.com/

hmm well in that case.. is mars getting closer?.. though if it was appearing to be that close then that would have to mean that the image would take a shorter time to travel the closer it got.. kinda rendering my little theory not likely at all! coz if mars was right there. it wouldnt be appearing to be right there.. it realy would be right there and that would be messing up every things equilibriant rather substantialy i imagine!.. im gonna go shh now

-sam

Yes

ahh i had all these ideas in my head but im to tired to make them make sence! lol

Why would Mars end up next to Earth? Seems pretty random. It's a big solar system out there. What would the chances be?

Is there any particular reason Mars would decide to rock on up next to Earth?

I must refrain from laughing.

But that'll never happen!

xD well the point is! ... i wanna go to mars yo! soo next time u see it so close be like WOO NOW NOW NOW and i'll come and jump across into it! then start my own civilization! it'll be rad!

Yeah!!! Then we can be rightfully called Martians!

why yes, yes i do beleive that you could call us martians.. but I would call myself ummm MARSMAN or something like that!

-sam

Maybe you saw back into the past, when our moon was just being created.

Would still be glowing red from the impact and would be much much closer to the Earth.

This post got me thinking:

Origin of Earth's moon