Watch the astronomical spectacle on the ‘Euronews’ live broadcast on Monday night or find out where in Europe you’ll be most likely to see it most clearly.
On Monday night, stargazers will have the clearest view of the first of the four superlunas of this year when it comes out this week.
A supermoon is not an official astronomical term, but it is often used to describe a Full moon that is at least 90% of perigeeor point at which it orbits closest to Earth. The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle, and its distance from us varies.
The Moon is on average about 384,400 km from Earth, but on Monday night it will be about 23,000 km closeralmost double the diameter of our planet. This proximity will increase the Moon’s brightness and size, giving it a more imposing presence in the night sky.
At its closest point, the full Moon can appear up to a 14% larger and 30% brighter that when it is at its furthest point from Earth, known as apogee.
What is a super blue moon?
According to the NASAthis supermoon will also be a blue moon, a rare event that occurs every two or three years. A blue moon occurs when there are two full moons in the same calendar month or when there are four full moons in the same season. This time it’s the latter.
However, the Moon It won’t actually appear blue despite the name. NASA states that on rare occasions, the Moon can appear blue, usually due to smoke or dust in the atmosphere.
The super blue moon will appear full for three daysaccording to NASA, from Sunday morning to early Wednesday, with the closest point to Earth on Monday at 20:26 CET. The next one will be even closer, on the night of September 17 the next morning, almost 4,484 km closer than the one in August.
October’s supermoon will be the closest of the year357,364 km from Earth, followed by November, 361,867 km. That night there will also be a partial eclipse of the Moon, visible in much of America, Africa and Europe when the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon, resembling a small bite.
How can I see it in Europe?
Depending on the weather forecast in your region, you should be able to see the super blue moon.
In it United Kingdomit looks like Monday night will be cloudy or wet, with rain forecast for much of the country, especially in Scotland (although it is on yellow alert for heavy rain), Wales and parts of northern England. “The weather forecast does not look very favorable this afternoon, with clouds and outbreaks of rain spreading eastwards across the UK,” Met Office spokesperson Andrea Bishop told Euronews Next.
“The far east of East Anglia and the south-east of England could see the supermoon before the cloud moves. Then, during the first few hours, areas to the north and west will see clear skies, allowing the moon to be visible until dawn.”
A planned clear night in much of the continentwith very little cloudiness or precipitation. However, save this article for later and follow the Moonrise live so you don’t miss anything, regardless of the weather. The Moon will reach its fullness at 6:26 p.m. This schedule changes depending on the location from which it is observed: in Spainthe satellite will reach its maximum splendor at 20:26Therefore, knowing the exact time is crucial to be able to enjoy this astronomical event.
Double gift: supermoon and meteor shower
Monday night’s super blue moon will be accompanied by Saturnwhich will be located 1.5 degrees above the eastern horizon. According to NASA, Saturn’s bright moon Titan and its rings should be visible through a telescope. However, we won’t be able to see the “classic” view of Saturn with its rings until 2026, as the rings will be edge-on toward Earth in early 2025.
According to NASA, this particular lunar cycle also provides the opportunity to witness of the meteor showers: the Aurigids, which will reach their maximum on the morning of August 31, and the Perseid Epsilon of September, which will reach their maximum on the morning of September 9.
Although these rains are less compared to the Perseids that will be seen on August 12 and will reach a peak of 100 meteors per hour on the morning of August 12. With a peak of about 10 meteors per hour, The Aurigids can continue to offer a beautiful spectacle in the northern hemisphere if they are away from urban light pollution.
