2017 might have been a terrible year for some, but for astronomy lovers it was great, with a total solar eclipse and plenty of cosmic goings-on. It looks like in 2018 the skies will be just as busy, kicking off with a supermoon on the first day of the year.
These massive-looking full moons are truly beautiful, and capturing one on camera is the end goal for many a sky-watcher. We’ve been treated to three supermoons in a row, with the first one being at the start of December. However, you can still catch the next two.
What is a supermoon? A supermoon is a full moon that appears to be much bigger than usual. This is because the moon orbits the earth in a an oval shape rather than a circle, making it closer to the earth at some points. Every 29.5 days when it reaches the closes point to the earth this is known as a perigee. Now and again, this perigee will also fall at the same time as a full moon. There are no effects of a supermoon but it looks mesmerising in the sky, appearing around 14% bigger and 30% brighter than your average full moon. Depending on where it is on the horizon it can look even larger, in a trick of the eyes called ‘the moon illusion’.
When are January’s supermoons? We have two supermoons this month, with the first falling on New Year’s Day – this is nicknamed the wolf moon. Then, on January 31st, the so-called blue moon will arrive, which is also a supermoon.
What’s the best way to see a supermoon? You don’t even have to stay up late to view it as the best time to watch a supermoon is just after moonrise when it’s rising up off the horizon. If you’d like to know what time that is for you, check out this moonrise calculator. If it’s still way too chilly for you to even think about venturing outside, Slooh are livestreaming the supermoon too. Technology is wonderful sometimes. Don’t worry, either, as unlike the solar eclipse, you won’t need any special glasses or equipment to look straight at it.
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