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A rare supermoon will light up the night sky this month. It appears larger and brighter than any other moon we have seen this year.
The August full moon, also called the Sturgeon Moon, will light up the night sky on August 19, shining about 30 percent brighter than on a normal evening.
Astronomers recommend Americans head outside shortly after 8 p.m. ET to enjoy the best views.
If you miss it, there will also be a series of consecutive giant moons in the next few months.
The Sturgeon Supermoon will light up the night sky on August 19, followed by three more consecutive supermoons in the following months.
The Sturgeon Moon will be fullest on August 19 at 2:26 p.m. ET, but people in the U.S. will not be able to see it at that time.
That’s because it’s on the opposite side of the Earth. Hopeful viewers in the U.S. will have to wait until moonrise, which will be around 8:07 p.m. ET, according to Farmer’s Almanac.
On the east coast, the supermoon will rise toward the east-southeast, reach its peak about a third of the way across the sky, and then set in the west-southwest around 7:00 a.m.
Supermoons look biggest and brightest when they’re closest to the horizon, so the best time to see them is just after moonrise or just before moonset.
This is because there are objects near the horizon such as trees and buildings that are also comparable in size to the moon.
This creates an optical illusion that makes the moon appear larger than if it were high in the sky and there were no comparable objects nearby.
An optical illusion makes supermoons appear largest and brightest when they are close to the horizon.
The moon will be large and bright enough to be easily visible across the United States, but be sure to check the weather forecast first. Cloudy skies may reduce visibility.
Look for a place with a clear view of the horizon, such as a beach, hill or field.
If you live in the city, you may want to go outside and seek out darker skies, as light pollution can reduce the brightness of the moon.
To see the details of the moon, such as craters, up close, be sure to bring binoculars and a telescope.
But don’t worry if you miss this month’s supermoon. You’ll have three more chances to see one in the following months.
After this month, the next supermoons of 2024 will occur on September 18, October 17 and November 15.
Supermoons occur three to four times a year, always in consecutive months.
Supermoons occur when the full moon is at perigee – the point at which it is closest to Earth.
They cast about 30 percent more light on the planet than the moon when it is at its darkest.
This is because they occur when the full moon passes particularly close to our planet and more of the sun’s rays reflected from the moon’s surface reach the Earth.
The distance between the Earth and the Moon varies because the Moon describes an elliptical (oval) orbit around our planet.
During its orbit, the distance of the moon from our planet varies between about 363,000 and 363,000 kilometers.
If it followed a perfectly circular orbit, the size and brightness of the full moon would appear to never change.
The point at which the moon is closest to the earth is called “perigee.” At this point, it appears about 14 percent larger than at “apogee,” its farthest point.
The next supermoon of this century will occur on December 6, 2052.
