14 Nov. 2016 supermoon: the largest full Moon in more than 80 years.
We all love the full Moon. Its beautiful disk and spectacular light are always a memorable sight. Its presence in the sky is always an exceptional opportunity to grab wonderful images, including other natural elements and/or precious monuments. But the next 14 Nov. 2016 full Moon will be super, actually a “supermoon”. No, better: a super “supermoon”.
The 14 Nov. 2016 “supermoon” compared to the 22 Apr. 2016 “mini Moon”: the difference in angular size is apparent.
*** See the Supermoon live, online, from the comfort of your home! ***
What will make the 14 Nov. full Moon so special? On 11:24 UT this 14 Nov., our satellite will be at its minimum distance from our home planet, that is at its perigee, namely at 356511 km from us (versus a mean distance of 384400 km; the eccentricity of the lunar orbit is the source of this difference). Two hours and 30 minutes later, the Moon will be full. In short, that is a so-called full “supermoon“.
This year, we have three supermoons: on October, November and December. Many of them, but the November one is special: not only it is the closest of 2016, this making its angular diameter the largest of the year, but it is the most “super” one from 1948 to 2034. While a supermoon has really no special meaning, but just a popular appeal, it is an excellent opportunity to invite people to look up.
Ok, this is going to be a record of some kind, we will like to look at it, but what will see? Well, actually nothing very special, compared to a typical, always beautiful, full Moon. Accordingly to what we have written, being the Moon closer, we will see it a bit larger in the sky: its disk will show us under an angle larger than on average. Will you note it? Probably, no.
*** See the Supermoon live, online, from the comfort of your home! ***
While you have seen a lot of full Moons in your life, you do not have a photographic memory of it. After all, this supermoon will be about 12% larger than a apogee (farthest) full Moon: such a difference can be noticed by experienced observers, but not by occasional Moon gazers. But you can grab a much better “proof”: if you take a picture of this supermoon and will image a future full Moon with the very same setup (same camera and lens/telescope), you will see it by comparing them!
The 23 June 2013 “supermoon” imaged via the Virtual Telescope
We invite you to go out there and enjoy this upcoming super “supermoon”. If you look at it at its rising, you will have the impression it will be even lager (this is an optical illusion, of course, but a spectacular one), simply because foreground elements will serve for comparison. This is also a wonderful opportunity to capture stunning sights, framing the Moon with your most loved monument or natural elements.
The Full Moon is rising above the Colosseum, on 20 July 2016
That said, how can you miss this beautiful supermoon?
*** See the Supermoon live, online, from the comfort of your home! ***
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we will see the moon
I’m surely gonna see and Admire the SUPERMOON .
Lyra
A Perfect Salutation to the SUPERMOON.
Lyra Fernandes.
all will see this spectacular supermoon. We all look up and see
the same Moon. My wonderful friends will be that much closer to me
while looking.