Community Corner
‘Super’ Super Moon to Make Appearance Saturday
Full moon will be closest to Earth in nearly 20 years. Here's a look at what's happening and when to see it in its full glory.
Grab your telescopes and cameras and look to the heavens Saturday night – that’s when we’re in for another “Super Moon.”
Residents of Huntington Woods and Berkley might have to be extra patient looking for what astronomers are saying is even more of a Super Moon than usual — and Saturday's weather conditions aren't expected to be exactly ideal.
According to the National Weather Service, the skies will be mostly cloudy, but with the Super Moon appearing bigger and brighter than usual, there's still a good possibility to get a look at it.
Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
What to look for
This Super Moon will appear especially large because the moment of perigee — when the moon is closest to the Earth in its monthly rotation — will coincide with the appearance of a perfectly full moon, Smithsonian points out.
On Saturday at 11:34 p.m. ET, the moon reaches full moon status — when the earth, moon and sun are all in alignment. One minute later, at 11:35 p.m., perigee will occur.
Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The best time to photograph a full moon though, experts say, is at moonrise. Moonrise Saturday will take place at 7:29 p.m. and it will set at 4:44 a.m. Sunday.
When the moon is near the horizon, illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view, NASA reports. Low-hanging moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects.
Saturday also marks the midpoint of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The exact moment between the March equinox and the June solstice occurs at 10:11 a.m. ET Saturday.
A look at the details
- The term "supermoon" was coined in 1979 to describe a full moon that coincides with perigee — something that happens about once a year, on average.
- The moon will be 221,802 miles away from Earth on Saturday night. (The average distance is 238,855 according to NASA.) That’s 17,053 miles closer.
- This all translates to a moon that will appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons this year, according to NASA.
- In March 2011, sky-watchers were treated to the closest Super Moon in two decades, when the moon was a mere 221,565 miles from Earth.
- Next month, the full moon will again roughly coincide with perigee, albeit one that puts the moon a bit farther away, at 222,750 miles.
Share your Super Moon photos!
Patch wants to see how you captured the Super Moon in photos!
To submit yours for our gallery just upload them straight to this story or send pictures to Jessica Strachan at jessicalstrachan@gmail.com. Don't know how to upload photos? Don't worry, it's easy – .
