Supermoon will peak tonight, appears up to 30% bigger and brighter in the sky

Supermoon will reach its zenith on Wednesday night, when it will appear up to 30 percent larger and brighter in the sky. On Wednesday night, the moon is predicted to shine up to 30 percent brighter than usual, in what is known as a'supermoon'

A supermoon happens when the full moon occurs close to perigee, the point in the moon's orbit where it is closest to Earth. Its proximity enhances its brightness and size in the night sky as seen from Earth, whereas on the moon it seems unchanged.

A supermoon occurs when the full moon nearly coincides with the point in its orbit at which it is nearest to the Earth. Pictured is a full moon rising behind Glastonbury Tor in September 2021

A ancient naming system devised by early Native Americans refers to the full moon of July as the Buck Moon. The seventh full moon of the year is referred to as the Buck Moon because male deer shed and renew their antlers during this period.

On the evening of June 14 2022, a Strawberry Supermoon lit up skies around the world, as our lunar satellite appeared 17 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than usual.

Anna Ross, a planetarium astronomer at Royal Museums Greenwich in England, stated, "The best time to view this supermoon will be at any point during the night of July 13th, when the moon will rise in the east shortly after sunset and set in the west just before sunrise."

"Because this is a bright full moon, there is no specific location required to see this event. As long as there are no clouds in the sky, it will be easy to distinguish whether you are in a light-polluted metropolis or a dark rural location", she added.

A supermoon rose behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey on the evening of June 14 2022

 

Since the Moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical rather than a circular path, supermoons occur. This means that there is a point in its 29.5-day orbit where it is closest to the Earth, and that it passes this point during a full moon at specific times of the year.

Ms. Ross continued, "Since a supermoon indicates that the moon is slightly closer to Earth, it will appear slightly larger in the sky". "The apparent difference between the size of the full moon at its closest and farthest points is only around 14%, and if you were on the moon, its brightness would not vary, despite the fact that its apparent size would be smaller".

Stargazers will be treated to a supermoon when the sky is clear between sunset on July 13 and sunrise the following morning. Pictured is the full moon rising over Antalya, Turkey.

The usual distance between the moon and Earth is 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers), but at its perigee, the moon is just 222,089 miles (384,264 kilometers) away.

On the evening of June 14, a Strawberry Supermoon illuminated the skies over the globe, appearing 17 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual. It also appears around 30% brighter overall to us here on Earth.The next full moon on August 11 is also likely to be classed as a supermoon.