Thanks to a fluke of orbital mechanics that brings the Moon closer to Earth than it has been in nearly 20 years, the biggest full moon of 2011 occurred on Saturday night, leading Chinese observers to gather outside to record the moment.

If you missed the moon on Saturday night, this is your chance to make up for it. Observers in Pu'er in southwest China's Yunnan province used DVs to record the unusual size of the moon.

The supermoon is 14 percent bigger than usual, and it won't be this close to the Earth again until the year 2029.

Astrophiles are all excited.

An astrophile said, I prepared a long time in advance, buying equipment, glasses. We'll capture the most beautiful side of the moon.

In mid March, some doomsday predictors said Japan's massive earthquake and China's Yingjiang earthquake were the result of the supermoon. In reference to the rumor, experts say it has no factual basis.

Zhujin, astronomer of Beijing planetarium, said, Though some rumors sound scientific, they're not. The moon is 380 thousand kilometers away from earth, and the supermoon is just a little nearer than usual, compared with the average distance. As far as history is concerned, the supermoon has nothing to do with disasters.

Experts also suggest for anyone who missed the supermoon to go out on Sunday night as the moon is only 1 percent smaller than on Saturday.

vivi笔记：

orbital mechanics：轨道力学
full moon：满月
make up for：补偿，弥补
supermoon：超级月亮
In reference to：有关，关于
factual basis：事实依据

口译备考之看英语视频练复述系列>>