Biggest Supermoon in 68 years tonight

13 พฤศจิกายน 2559

Tonight the Moon will look bigger and brighter than normal, the biggest Supermoon since 1968. Full moon is at 20:52, but it will look bigger earlier in the evening.

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There's an 'extra-super' Moon on the rise

AFP – An unusually large and bright Moon will adorn the night sky tonight (Monday) – the closest "Supermoon" to Earth in 68 years and a chance for dramatic photos and spectacular surf.

Weather permitting, the phenomenon should appear at its most impressive at 1352 GMT (20:52 Thailand time) when it will be at its fullest just as night falls over Asia, astronomers said.

Post Today photographer Seksan Rojjanametakul got this shot near the Grand Palace late Sunday afternoon. The Moon will look even bigger tonight, so plan what kind of photos you might want to take.

Provided there are no clouds and not too much light pollution, people should be able to see Earth's satellite loom unusually large over the horizon shortly after sunset, irrespective of where in the world they are.

This happens when the Moon is full at the same time as, or very near, perigee – its closest point to Earth on an elliptical, monthly orbit.

"On November 14, it becomes full within about two hours of perigee – arguably making it an extra-super Moon," NASA says on its website.

The orbit itself is changeable, meaning the distance from Earth differs from perigee to perigee – this time it will be the closest since 1948 at a distance of 356,509 kilometres.

The average is 384,400km.

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Tips for photographers

Space.com talked to Bill Ingalls, a NASA photographer, and he had some tips for taking photos of tonight's Supermoon.

People watch as a supermoon rises over Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

1. Include landmarks in the photo; don't just take the moon alone in the sky.
2. Plan your photo. Find a good location, if possible away from city lights and with interesting objects on the horizon. Find out where the moon will rise.
3. Bring you photo to life by including people in it.

Here is one more tip from today's AFP story:

4. The moon will appear bigger when it is near the Earth's horizon, i.e., when it first rises, so be sure to get some photos then.

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On Monday, the full Moon's relative proximity should make it appear about 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than at its furthest orbit point, according to the Irish Astronomical Association (IAA).

Without foreknowledge, one might barely notice that the Moon appears brighter than usual, astronomers say. Once it is high in the sky, it would be hard to tell that the Moon is larger.

But on the horizon, it could be quite spectacular.

"When you look at the Moon when it's rising, there is this optical illusion where it looks bigger," astronomer Mark Bailey, emeritus director of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland, told AFP.

Lying low, as a backdrop to trees or buildings for context, our satellite appears larger to the human eye despite being the same size the whole night.

Supermoons are actually quite common – there is one every 14 months on average.

"But some supermoons are more super than others," said Pascal Descamps of the Paris Observatory – the closer the Earth the more so.

The supermoon will also mean a stronger high tide, something that gets surfers giddy with excitement, not only at the prospect of riding bigger waves, but doing so at night.