Sky gazers can enjoy the 'biggest and brightest' full moon of the year on Thursday and Friday due to its closeness to the earth.
"This week's full moon (October 25/26) will be biggest full moon of 2007," NASA experts said.
The event coincides with the China's Lunar spacecraft 'Chang' (Moon Goddess) reaching the moon, which will give three-dimensional pictures of the moon's surface once it starts orbiting around it.
Experts cautioned against viewing the full moon through telescope without an appropriate filter as it would affect the eyes.
"Some full moons are genuinely larger than others and Thursday night's full moon will be as much as 14 per cent wider and 30 per cent brighter than lesser full moons we have seen earlier this year," one of the NASA's web sites www.spaceweather.com said on Wednesday.
Director of Maharashtra-based Akashganga Centre for Astronomy Bharat Adur said usually the full moon is southward positioned during this time of the year (October to December). Hence on Thursday/Friday, while observing from the equatorial regions, the moon will appear to be much brighter.
"The moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 48,000 km closer to earth than the other. The full moon on October 25-26 is located on the near side, making it bigger and brighter than other full moons we've seen earlier in 2007."
On how to determine that the moon will look bigger, experts said: "Stretch your hand and keep your index finger towards the moon, which will usually cover the apparent diameter of the earth's natural satellite. But on Thursday and Friday, the moon will appear slightly larger than the index finger. This is one way to prove the big full moon."
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