INTERNATIONAL TURKISH HOPE SCHOOL-CHITTAGONG BRANCH

ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013 - ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS

Section A: READING WORKSHEET
NAME:.
DATE:

Super Moon:
Saturdays moon will be the biggest and brightest of the year
MAY 04, 2012
By Stephanie Kraus

JULIO CORTEZAP
Full moons look even bigger on the horizon. Scientists call this effect the moon illusion.
On May 5, be sure to look up at the night sky. Experts predict that at 11:34 p.m. eastern
time, the moon will line up with Earth and the sun. Since the moon will be at the closest
point to Earth in its orbit, there will be a super moon. It will look as much as 14%
bigger and 30% brighter than any other moon of 2012.
Full moons vary in how big they appear because of the moons oval orbit. The scientific
term for when the moon is at the point nearest to Earth is perigee. A perigee full moon
happens about once a year. Last years super moon was on March 19. It was reported as
the biggest and brightest moon in 18 years.
Geoff Chester is an expert at the U.S. Naval Observatory. He says the moon is moving
away from Earth over time. The number of these extremely close full moons will
dwindle, Chester said. Eventually, we wont see any as extreme as the ones right now.
The Titanic
Experts say theres no reason to be alarmed. The super moon on May 5 will not cause
ocean tides high enough to cause any problems. However, the same cannot be said for
the super moon of 1912. Some experts believe that it may have had something to do
with the sinking of the Titanic.
On January 3, 1912, Earth was at its closest point to the sun. A day later, the moon lined
up with Earth and the sun. It caused the most extreme ocean tides of the 20th century.
Those high tides lifted many grounded icebergs in Greenland. Three months later, the
Titanic struck an unexpected iceberg in its path. There were more icebergs floating
around the North Atlantic than there usually were in April, Chester said. The theory
holds a lot of truth.
Moon Tricks
There are some tricks to getting the best view of the super moon. The best time to catch
a glimpse of it is when it rises in the east. For reasons scientists cant explain, a full
moon looks largest when it reaches the horizon. Scientists call this effect the moon
illusion. It also looks biggest through trees or next to large buildings. Our brains play a
trick on us, Chester said, and the moon looks really gigantic.

INTERNATIONAL TURKISH HOPE SCHOOL-CHITTAGONG BRANCH

ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013 - ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS
Section A: READING WORKSHEET
NAME:.
DATE:
Be warned: This only happens once in a blue moon. There wont be another super moon
this big until 2016.

Super Moon
1) What is the main idea of the article? What is it mostly about?
a. The close full moons are dwindling.
b. The super moon looks huge because the moon is close to the Earth.
c. An iceberg caused the Titanic to sink.
2) Is the super moon of 2012 expected to cause problems?
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3) What super moon is believed to have caused the sinking of the Titanic?
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4) When is it best to look super moon? Why?
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5) When the moon is at perigee, what does it look like? Why does it look like that?
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6) What shape is the moons orbit around the earth?
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INTERNATIONAL TURKISH HOPE SCHOOL-CHITTAGONG BRANCH

ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013 - ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS
Section A: READING WORKSHEET
NAME:.
DATE:

INTERNATIONAL TURKISH HOPE SCHOOL-CHITTAGONG BRANCH

ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013 - ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS
Section A: READING WORKSHEET
NAME:.
DATE:

Video on Super Moon

1) What is the main idea of the video? What is the video mostly about?
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2) The full moon can cause all of these problems except:
a. Making dogs howl.
b. Making people hungry all the time.
c. Waking people up in the middle of the night.
d. Raising high tides.
3) In what shape does the moon travel around the Earth?
a. Circle
b. Triangle
c. Oval
4) What is the term for when the moon is the farthest it gets away from the Earth?
a. Apogee
b. Perigee
c. Full moon
5) The super moon will seem even bigger if you see it
a. on the horizon.
b. way up in the sky.
c. at 2:30 in the morning
1) Why do you think full moons on the Perigee side might seem extra big and bright?
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2) Why might it be difficulty for some people to tell the difference in fill moon size on
the Perigee and Apogee side?
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INTERNATIONAL TURKISH HOPE SCHOOL-CHITTAGONG BRANCH

ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013 - ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS
Section A: READING WORKSHEET
NAME:.
DATE:

Directions: Summarize the article and the video clip about the super moon. Write one
main idea for the article and video. Then write two important details from both the article
and the video.
Main idea of the article and video:
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Article details:
1) _________________________________________________________________________________
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2) _________________________________________________________________________________
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Video details:
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2) ____________________________________________________________________________________
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Now write your one paragraph summary so someone could understand the main ideas
and important details or concepts in the article and video about the super moon.

INTERNATIONAL TURKISH HOPE SCHOOL-CHITTAGONG BRANCH

ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013 - ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS
Section A: READING WORKSHEET
NAME:.
DATE: