Last chance to see supermoon in 2024 is days away – exact time to look outside
YOUR last chance to see a supermoon in 2024 is now just days away.
In a spectacle for sky-watchers, the full moon will look bigger and brighter than usual.
Supermoons are a rare event, typically occurring on just a few days each year.
Every supermoon is a full moon – but not all full moons are super moons.
To be classified as a supermoon, the moon has to be especially close to Earth in its monthly orbit.
And the Earth has to be located between the Sun and the Moon so you get full illumination.
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But you don’t get an eclipse because the Moon’s position is slightly skewed.
The next supermoon is on Friday, November 15 – and it’s the last one of the year.
In the UK, the peak supermoon is 9.29pm on Friday.
And if you’re in New York, the official supermoon time is 4.29pm.
However, the Moon will look fairly large on Saturday too – so keep an eye out for that.
If you’re wondering whether you’ve already accidentally seen a supermoon this year, the dates for 2024 are as follows:
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- August 19, 2024
- September 18, 2024
- October 17, 2024
- November 15, 2024
But don’t worry – this isn’t the last supermoon ever.
In fact, you’ll usually get a few supermoons each year.
So if you want to spot one in 2025, you’ll want to look up on these dates:
- October 7, 2025
- November 5, 2025
- December 4, 2025
The next full moon is due on December 15, 2024 – but it won’t be a supermoon.
TYPES OF MOONS
There are several types of moons that you might have heard about.
A blue moon refers to the occasion when a full moon appears for the second time in the same month.
The Moon – our closest neighbour explained
Here’s what you need to know…
- The Moon is a natural satellite – a space-faring body that orbits a planet
- It’s Earth’s only natural satellite, and is the fifth biggest in the Solar System
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
- Temperatures on the Moon vary wildly. Nasa explains: “Temperatures near the Moon’s equator can spike to 250°F (121°C) in daylight, then plummet after nightfall to -208°F (-133°C). In deep craters near the Moon’s poles, permanent shadows keep the surface even colder — NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has measured temperatures lower than -410°F (-246°C).”
- Experts assumed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543
- It was eventually assigned to a “class” after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610
- The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago
- The strength of its gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth’s gravity
- Earth and the Moon have “synchronous rotation”, which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase “dark side of the Moon”
- The Moon’s surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective ground
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear a similar size in the sky because the Sun is both 400 times larger and farther
- The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union’s Lunar program
- The first manned orbital mission was Nasa’s Apollo 8 in 1968
- And the first manned lunar landing was in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission
You’ll get a blue moon roughly once every two to three years.
A supermoon appears when it is at its closest point to Earth, and is therefore at its biggest and brightest.
You’ll typically get between two and four of these each year.
And a blood moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse – look out for that in March 2025.
Each month of the year actually has its own special full moon name, as follows:
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- January: Wolf Moon
- February: Snow Moon
- March: Worm Moon
- April: Pink Moon
- May: Flower Moon
- June: Strawberry Moon
- July: Buck Moon
- August: Sturgeon Moon
- September: Full Corn Moon
- October: Hunter’s Moon
- November: Beaver Moon
- December: Cold Moon
And if any month has a bonus full moon, the second one will be called a blue moon.