Supermoon to be seen tonight; two others will be visible on August 10, September 9. The first of the three supermoons of summer 2014 will be seen tonight (July 12), while the two other supermoons will be visible on August 10 and September 9. The one in August would be closest to Earth. A supermoon is when the moon makes its closest approach to Earth in its orbit than usual. It appears as much as 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter. The scientific term for the phenomenon is perigee moon. Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moons orbit. The Moon follows an elliptical path around Earth with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer than the other (apogee). Full Moons that occur on the perigee side of the Moons orbit seem extra big and bright, explains NASA.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 18:13:16 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015