Thursday's moon -- almost full and almost at perigee

Friday's full moon will be the biggest one of the year, with Mars hovering nearby -- and the local forecast calls for clear skies, which might even make it worth braving the sub-zero temperatures to step outside after dark to see.

According to Spaceweather.com, the moon at perigee (the closest point in its elliptical orbit around the earth), as it is now , will appear "as much as 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than other full Moons you'll see later in 2010."

Just north of this big moon, Mars will shine brightly also, and will stay in conjunction with the moon all night on Friday. In what Spaceweather.com calls "a coincidence of celestial proportions," Mars is also at the closest point in its orbit, so both Mars and the moon will appear especially bright and big. (But, no, Mars will not appear as large as the moon, as some hoax going around the Internet has claimed.)

The exact time when the moon is fullest over the Twin Cities will come at 12:18 a.m., which is why both the MOQ Useful Calendar and the Weatherguide Calendar give the 30th as the date of the full moon.

And now that the ice is once again solid, it could be a great night to go skating.