The full moon is always beautiful, but the full moons of June, July and August are a little something extra â theyâre all supermoons, and this weekend is the second of three in a row. But what is a supermoon, and where did the name come from? As the moon orbits the Earth, its distance to the planet varies. The point when it is closest to Earth is called perigee, and the point when it is farthest is called apogee. Both perigee and apogee happen once every month. The supermoon simply refers to a new or full moon that coincides with perigee when the moon is closest to our planet. The word was first coined by an astrologer not an astronomer named Richard Nolle more than 30 years ago, according to EarthSky. Itâs not necessarily a scientific term, but can be useful for talking about what weâre seeing in the sky: a full moon that appears slightly larger than a regular full moon. Generally speaking, full Moons occur near perigee every 13 months and 18 days, so its not all that unusual, Geogg Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory said in a NASA statement on the supermoon. In fact, just last year there were three perigee Moons in a row, but only one was widely reported. Usually, comparing a photograph on the supermoon to a regular full moon will reveal the slight difference in size. But the appearance of a huge moon is largely an illusion, one astronomers have yet to fully understand. Regardless, seeing a beautiful full moon on a clear night is a pleasure for astronomers and amateur sky-watchers alike. The moon is officially full on Saturday July 12 at 7:25 a.m. Eastern time.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 11:37:31 +0000