Amateur astronomers and all people who love natural phenomena should get their binoculars or telescopes ready and keep an eye on the sky in the coming week. On the night of Tuesday, June 14, the moon will be in the full moon phase and will look bigger and brighter than usual. This may look like an optical illusion, but it is a natural phenomenon known as a “supermoon”.
The closest full moon to the earth
The term “supermoon” was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle. As the orbit of the Earth’s natural satellite is elliptical, it reaches its closest point to our planet (the perigee) from time to time. When this coincides with the full moon phase, it is called a “supermoon”. Nolle also determined that the moon becomes a supermoon when it is a maximum of 367,600 kilometers away from Earth.
Furthermore, according to calculations by the US space agency NASA, a supermoon can appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the farthest full moon on Earth. So it’s worth taking a look. Even more so when you consider that the full moon in June this year will be much closer to us than the distance Richard Nolle has defined for a “supermoon”: only around 357,400 kilometers from Earth.
But there is also bad news about this phenomenon: the moon will not reach its full moon phase until 1.51 p.m. Central European Summer Time on Tuesday, so we will not be able to observe it from Stuttgart. At least during the day. On that day, it will rise in the east at around 10 p.m. and set on the western horizon at around 5:30 a.m. the next day.
At this time, it may no longer be in the full moon phase or as close to the earth as it was hours before, but the difference will hardly be noticeable. So if you stay away from the city or find a dark, secluded spot, you may be able to observe this natural satellite in all its glory.
Supermoon in July
However, if you want to wait for a better opportunity for stargazing, make a note of this date: July 13. On this day, the next full moon will reach the perigee of its orbit. In addition, the supermoon in July is more suitable for observation, as the time when the moon is fully illuminated by the sun falls at 20:37.