How To Watch August’s Supermoon, Which Kicks Off 4 Months Of Lunar Spectacles

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – The first of four supermoons this year will appear next week, offering tantalizing views of Earth’s constant companion.

Stargazers can witness the first act on Monday as the full moon comes closer than normal, making it appear larger and brighter in the night sky.

“I like to think of the supermoon as a good excuse to start looking at the moon more regularly,” said Noah Petro, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project scientist.

August’s supermoon kicks off a series of lunar events. The September supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse. October will be the year’s closest approach, while November will complete the year.v

Super Moon | ABC Image

How To Watch August’s Supermoon, Which Kicks Off Four Months Of Lunar Spectacles

What makes a moon so spectacular?

A super moon is a popular name for a full lunar phase that coincides with an extremely close swing around Earth. Given the moon’s continually fluctuating, oval-shaped orbit, this occurs just three or four times per year and always consecutively.

A super moon is not necessarily larger, although it can look to be so, according to scientists.

“Unless you have looked at a lot of full moons or compare them in images, it is hard to notice the difference, but people should try,” Petro told me via email.

How do supermoons compare?

There are four supermoons this year.

The first will be 224,917 miles (361,970 km) distant. The next will be about 3,000 miles (4,484 km) closer during the night of September 17 and the following morning. A partial lunar eclipse will also occur that night, visible across the Americas, Africa, and Europe as the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon, simulating a little bite.

October’s supermoon will be the closest to Earth this year, at 222,055 miles (357,364 kilometers), followed by November’s at 224,853 miles (361,867 kilometers).

How To Watch August’s Supermoon, Which Kicks Off Four Months Of Lunar Spectacles

What is in it for me?

Scientists point out that only the most acute observers can detect the minor variations. A supermoon can be 30% brighter than the ordinary moon, making the difference in brightness easier to perceive.

With the United States and other countries increasing lunar exploration with landers and possibly astronauts, the moon beckons more than ever. Petro, the project scientist for the first team of moonwalkers to be formed under Apollo’s follow-on program, Artemis, is ecstatic about the revived interest in the moon.

“It certainly makes it more fun to stare at,” Petro added.

SOURCE | AP