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Final supermoon of the year will peak on Thursday appearing up to 30% bigger and brighter in the sky - Daily Mail

Final supermoon of the year will peak on Thursday appearing up to 30% bigger and brighter in the sky - Daily Mail

Final supermoon of the year will peak on Thursday appearing up to 30% bigger and brighter in the sky - Daily Mail
Aug 09, 2022 2 mins, 24 secs

The moon is expected to appear up to 30 per cent brighter in the early hours of Friday morning, in what is known as a 'supermoon'.

The final supermoon of the year will be visible any time the sky is clear between sunset on August 11 and sunrise the following morning, although the moon will reach full illumination at 02:36 BST. .

A supermoon occurs when the full moon nearly coincides with perigee – the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is nearest to the Earth.

The eighth full moon of 2022 is named the Sturgeon Moon because large sturgeon fish were more easily caught in the Great Lakes at this time of year.

The final supermoon of the year will be visible any time the sky is clear between sunset on August 11 and sunrise the following morning, although the moon will reach full illumination at 02:36 BST.

Supermoons occur because the moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical path, rather than a circular one.

This means there is a point in its 29.5-day orbit where it is closest to the Earth and, at certain times of the year, it passes this point during a full moon.

This makes it appear about 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than when a full moon appears at the apogee - the point furthest away from out planet.

Some parts of the scientific community, including NASA, use the supermoon definition set by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, who classed it as a full moon that comes within 90 per cent of its perigee — the closest point to Earth in its orbit.

Supermoons occur because the moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical path, rather than a circular one.

The average distance of the moon from the Earth is 238,855 miles (384,400 km), but in its perigee it is only 222,089 miles (357,264 km) away.

The moon will actually reach the perigee on August 10 at 16:00 BST (13:00 ET), but it will not reach peak illumination until August 12 at 02:36 BST (21:36 ET).

The Perseid meteor shower started in mid-July but the meteors won't reach their full illumination until the Earth passes through the bulk of the debris early Saturday morning?

The shower actually started in mid-July but the meteors won't reach their full illumination until the Earth passes through the bulk of the debris early Saturday morning

During the 29.5-day lunar cycle, we observe a new moon (with 0 per cent illumination), a waxing moon (when the amount of illumination on the moon is increasing), a full moon (100 per cent illumination) and then a waning moon (when its visible surface area is getting smaller)

Meanwhile, a SUPERMOON  is when the full moon nearly coincides with perigee – the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is nearest to the Earth

This means a supermoon can appear as much as 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than normal, when viewed from Earth, depending on the time of year. 

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