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August's supermoon kicks off four months of lunar spectacles. Here's how to watch
By MARCIA DUNN
Associated Press,
4 hours ago
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first of four supermoons this year rises next week, providing tantalizing views of Earth's constant companion.
Stargazers can catch the first act Monday as the full moon inches a little closer than usual, making it appear slightly bigger and brighter in the night sky.
"I like to think of the supermoon as a good excuse to start looking at the moon more regularly," said Noah Petro, project scientist for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
August's supermoon kicks off a string of lunar spectacles.
September's supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse. October's will be the year's closest approach, and November's will round out the year.
The supermoon rises through clouds Aug. 1, 2023, over lower Manhattan, seen from West Orange, N.J.
What makes a moon so super?
More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon's constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.
A supermoon obviously isn't bigger but it can appear that way, though scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.
"Unless you have looked at a lot of full moons or compare them in images, it is hard to notice the difference, but people should try," Petro said in an email.
Matthew Dominick, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, captured a remarkable timelapse video showing the Moon setting and the Sun rising against the backdrop of dazzling aurora lights. Dominick shared his video Monday with the caption: "Timelapse of the moon setting into streams of red and green aurora followed by a sunrise lighting up Soyuz with a light blue. The aurora have been amazing the past few days. Great timing for trying out a new lens that recently arrived on Cygnus." Persistent solar storms have recently created the perfect conditions for the aurora borealis to dazzle in the northern hemisphere, offering a breathtaking spectacle visible from space and the ground. The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, have long mesmerized humankind by creating glowing, swirling lights in the night sky.
How do supermoons compare?
There's a quartet of supermoons this year.
The first will be 224,917 miles away.
The next will be nearly 3,000 miles closer the night of Sept. 17 into the following morning. A partial lunar eclipse also will unfold that night, visible in much of the Americas, Africa and Europe as the Earth's shadow falls on the moon, resembling a small bite.
October's supermoon will be the year's closest, at 222,055 miles from Earth, followed by November's supermoon at a distance of 224,853 miles.
(CNN) — A half-billion-dollar rover that could be crucial to US lunar ambitions sits fully assembled but in a state of limbo, mere steps away from being ready for launch.
What's in it for me?
Scientists point out that only the keenest observers can discern the subtle differences. It's easier to detect the change in brightness — a supermoon can be 30% brighter than average.
With the U.S. and other countries ramping up lunar exploration with landers and eventually astronauts, the moon beckons brighter than ever.
As project scientist for the first team of moonwalkers coming up under Apollo's follow-up program, Artemis, Petro is thrilled by the renewed lunar interest.
"It certainly makes it more fun to stare at," Petro said.
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