NATIONAL NEWS - Today, November 14, the Moon will be the closest to Earth that it’s been in 68 years.
Don’t miss this spectacular extra-super moon as the next time the Moon will be this close to Earth will be in 2034.
Bigger and Brighter
The Moon will appear to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon. We had a supermoon on October 16 and we’ll have another one on December 14, but because the November 14 Moon becomes full within about two hours of perigee, it’s going to look the biggest it has in nearly seven decades.
Extra-supermoon
According to Nasa it will become full just two hours after its closest approach to Earth, arguably making it an ‘extra-supermoon’.
So what is a supermoon?
The term supermoon is not an official astronomical name. The astronomical community favours the name perigee-syzygy, or perigee moon.
The word syzygy describes when the Earth, Sun, and Moon line up as the Moon orbits Earth, while perigee is the point on the Moon’s orbit nearest to Earth. Perigee syzygy occurs as the Moon orbits close to Earth and the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun.
Optical illusion
Depending on where you’re viewing it from, the difference between a supermoon and an ordinary full moon can be huge or not so much. If the Moon is high in the sky, and you have no buildings or landmarks to compare it to, it can be difficult to tell whether it’s larger than usual. But if you’re viewing it from a place where it’s hanging closer to the horizon, it can create what’s called a moon illusion.
“When the moon is near the horizon, it can look unnaturally large when viewed through trees, buildings, or other foreground objects,” says Nasa. “The effect is an optical illusion, but that fact doesn’t take away from the experience.”
The Moon will appear to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon. We had a supermoon on October 16 and we’ll have another one on December 14, but because the November 14 Moon becomes full within about two hours of perigee, it’s going to look the biggest it has in nearly seven decades.
Extra-supermoon
According to Nasa it will become full just two hours after its closest approach to Earth, arguably making it an ‘extra-supermoon’.
So what is a supermoon?
The term supermoon is not an official astronomical name. The astronomical community favours the name perigee-syzygy, or perigee moon.
The word syzygy describes when the Earth, Sun, and Moon line up as the Moon orbits Earth, while perigee is the point on the Moon’s orbit nearest to Earth. Perigee syzygy occurs as the Moon orbits close to Earth and the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun.
Optical illusion
Depending on where you’re viewing it from, the difference between a supermoon and an ordinary full moon can be huge or not so much. If the Moon is high in the sky, and you have no buildings or landmarks to compare it to, it can be difficult to tell whether it’s larger than usual. But if you’re viewing it from a place where it’s hanging closer to the horizon, it can create what’s called a moon illusion.
“When the moon is near the horizon, it can look unnaturally large when viewed through trees, buildings, or other foreground objects,” says Nasa. “The effect is an optical illusion, but that fact doesn’t take away from the experience.”
