Perigee vs. Apogee Observatory
True-scale optical angular diameter comparator contrasting perigee (supermoon, 33.5 arcmin) with apogee (micromoon, 29.3 arcmin) along with tidal force differential physics.
APSIDES ORBITALES · GUIDED DISTANCE SWEEP
Distance changes scale—and force.
Trace one orbital variable through the optics of the sky and the gradients of the tide.
01 · APSIDAL GEOMETRY
The Moon does not orbit at one distance.
The lunar orbit is an ellipse. Perigee is the near apsis; apogee is the far apsis. The difference is a measurable geometric range, not a change in the Moon itself.
Physical reading
Near-apsis amplification
The visual diameter and inverse-cube tidal model update from the same distance slider.
A single distance variable drives the orbit marker, angular diameter, and tidal potential readouts.
Perigee vs. Apogee Observatory: The "Supermoon" Demystifier
Visualizing the true physical 14% angular diameter and 30% illuminated area difference at exact identical scale.
Illuminance: +30% brighter than at apogee
Illuminance: Standard baseline minimum