(PCM) The upcoming November supermoon will break records as being the largest supermoon that we have witnessed in the last 70 years, in fact it marks the closest full moon in the 21st century. The moon will be the closest that it has been to the planet Earth since January of 1948.
The supermoon event will occur on November 14 and will appear to be approximate 14% larger and 30% brighter than an average full moon. Researchers claim that this supermoon is not to be missed as the moon will not be located this close to Earth again until November 25, 2034. That is definitely a long way away, so we urge you to get out and have a look at this one while you still have a chance.
You may be curious just how a supermoon occurs. We took a visit over to NASA.com and they explain, “Since the moon’s orbit is elliptical, one side (perigee) is about 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the other (apogee). The word syzygy, in addition to being useful in word games, is the scientific name for when the Earth, sun, and moon line up as the moon orbits Earth. When perigee-syzygy of the Earth-moon-sun system occurs and the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, we get a perigee moon or more commonly, a supermoon!” It is during the time of the perigee moon that it will appear to be bright and larger here on Earth.
The best places to view the supermoon are usually somewhere where it is very dark and away from all the light pollution from within the city. The supermoon will be at it’s peak on the morning of November 14 at 8:52am EST, however we think some of the best times to take images of the supermoon would be overnight. Happy supermoon viewing!