The best view of the Moon in 70 years is coming our way…
It hasn’t been seen in this size since 1948.
So amateur astronomers or desert stargazers, clear your schedule for Monday because there’s going to be an extra-special super moon.
According to NASA, the super moon will appear on the night of November 14. In fact, it’ll appear so big and so bright that the US space agency are calling it the “extra-super moon”.
WHAT MAKES IT A SUPER MOON?
Well, super moons aren’t that uncommon – in fact the last one just happened on October 16.
However the latest is most certainly rare, with the Moon passing 356,509 kilometres closer to Earth, making it the closest proximity to our planet since January 26, 1948.
As a result, the Moon will appear to be around 14 per cent bigger, and 30 per cent brighter than a standard full moon.
The lunar marvel on November 14 will also mark the closest full moon to Earth to date in the 21st century.
A super moon of this size is not expected to appear again until November 25, 2034.
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WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO SEE IT?
According to website Moon Giant, the super moon will appear to be its fullest in the UAE at 5.52pm.
Yeah, it might still be a little bright outside for you to glimpse it, but as soon as the Sun sets the Moon will be visible in all its glory.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
To better understand a super moon, it’s best to learn about the official terminology.
Super moon isn’t the official term for it, oh no. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system.
Perigee refers to the Moon’s closest point of orbit to the Earth, whereas syzygy refers to the alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun, which happens at every full or new moon.
In this case, the Moon and Sun will be on the opposite sides of the Earth. Otherwise, it’d be a super moon eclipse.
Here’s a picture that better explains it:
It’s not to scale, obviously, but it’ll give you a better idea as to why the super Moon is happening.
Images: Getty
