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'Super Moon' To Appear On Saturday

(Soundbite of song "There's A Moon Out Tonight")

THE CAPRIS: (Singing) There's a moon out tonight, oh-oh-oh-ooh...

ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

Actually, it's a moon out tomorrow - what amateur astronomers call an extreme super moon. The moon will be full, and it will be the closest full moon to the Earth in 18 years.

(Soundbite of song "There's A Moon Out Tonight")

THE CAPRIS: (Singing) There's a moon out tonight, oh-oh-oh-ooh. Let's go strolling through the park...

SIEGEL: And if you do go strolling through the park, you may see a moon that looks bigger and brighter than usual.

(Soundbite of song "Bad Moon Rising")

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: (Singing) I see a bad moon rising...

SIEGEL: At least one police officer, in Pittsburgh, fears bad behavior that a super-sized moon might inspire. And one zoo keeper suggests it could be an unusually social night.

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: (Singing) Don't go around tonight, well, it's bound to take your life. There's a bad moon on the rise...

SIEGEL: NASA's response to all this? Basically, chill out. Real astronomers say that a super full moon does appear 14 percent bigger than normal, but you might not be able to tell the difference in the moon's size. So if you want the full effect, take that stroll at sunset, as the moon rises behind silhouettes of earthly objects. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.