Community Corner

'Super' Supermoon to Make an Appearance Saturday

Full moon will be closest to Earth in nearly 20 years.

Grab your telescopes and cameras and look to the east Saturday evening. That's when we're in for the best view of the next "supermoon."

Astronomers are saying that this supermoon will be even more super than usual.

"The last full moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington D.C. told USA Today.

Find out what's happening in Park Slopewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The moon will be 221,802 miles away from Earth Saturday night; (the average distance is 238,855 according to NASA.) That's 17,053 miles closer.

This all translates to a moon that will appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons this year, according to NASA.

Find out what's happening in Park Slopewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This supermoon (a phrase coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, and which is easier to pronounce than the technically correct "perigee-syzygy") will appear somewhat larger than normal because the moment of perigee—when the moon is closest to the Earth in its monthly rotation—will coincide with the appearance of a perfectly full moon. During last year's supermoon on March 19, 2011, the perigee and full Moon were 50 minutes apart.

On Saturday at 11:34 p.m. ET, the moon reaches full moon status—when the Earth, Moon and Sun are all in alignment. One minute later, at 11:35 p.m., perigee will occur.

Experts say the best time to photograph a full Moon is at moonrise, which will take place on Saturday at 7:55 p.m. When the Moon is near the horizon optical illusions can produce a truly stunning view. The low-hanging Moon can look even more unnaturally large when compared to trees, buildings and other foreground objects.

Will the weather cooperate though? Weather in the New York City area on Saturday is expected to be partly cloudy with a high of 71 degrees during the day.

For anyone living close to water—a perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. Lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual, although local geography can amplify the effect to about six inches.

Patch plans to post a photo gallery of the supermoon with photos from our readers late Saturday night. Come back to Patch Saturday night or Sunday and add your photos to our community gallery.


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