Two interesting events will happen in space during the last weekend of August 2015. On Saturday, Aug 29, the first of three supermoons this fall will take place followed by lunar perigee of Sunday, Aug 30. These two space events are technically different but if they coincide with another, the result is a much brighter moon as observed from the Earth.
The moon and sun are situated opposite of each other. While the sun sets in the west, the moon rises to the east simultaneously. After about 12 hours, the exact reverse thing will happen as the sun rises to the east and the moon sets in the west.
A full moon may be observed if the moon, Earth and sun line up, causing the moon to exhibit a full shape that illuminates the planet's surface. The occurrence of a full moon, however, is rapid due to the constant orbiting of the Earth around the sun and moon around the Earth. A full moon may be observed on an average of 29.53 days apart. The rough estimate of appearance is due to the fact that the moon does not rotate around the Earth in a perfect circle, rather in an elliptical shape.
Supermoon is the unorthodox term characterized by the coincidental occurrence of a full moon and the closest distance of the moon to the Earth. When this happens, people from the Earth may observe that the moon looks bigger than usual and thus can showcase a magnificent sight.
Lunar perigee is the official term used to describe the closest approach of the moon to the Earth, while lunar apogee is the farthest. As this may present an unusually illuminating view, most astronomers and space enthusiasts are keen to know the date and time of the lunar perigee every time it is set to appear. For its next occurrence, the moon is said to lie close to the Earth at approximately 222,631 miles apart.
The supermoon on Saturday, Aug. 29 will occur at 2:35 p.m. EDT (1835 GMT), while the lunar perigee on Sunday, Aug. 30 will happen at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). Although the local time may be different, these two events occur exactly at the same time, when people view it from the Earth.
Observers may enhance their sighting session by first anticipating when the moon will come to its full shape glory. When the moon exhibits a very apparent contrast between its gray field and hilly areas, which is most commonly linked to the appearance of a man or a rabbit on the moon, observers may expect that the full moon is nearing.
With the help of a small pair of binoculars, the next step is to look for the three primary dark plains located at the upper half of the moon.
The next supermoon and lunar perigee are said to occur later in September 2015.
Photo: Ulrich Peters | Flickr
