Look up in the sky. Is it a beach ball? Is it a balloon? No, it's Supermoon 2014! And it's coming to a sky near you!
The full moon of Sunday, Aug. 10 will coincide with the moon's closest approach to the Earth during the month, or perigee. When a full moon and perigee occur at the same time, folks (especially us media types) call it a supermoon, or maybe super moon, and sometimes super full moon.
What do scientists call it?
Even astronomers use the term "supermoon." When they're among themselves, they might say "perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system," the technical term for the phenomenon, according to timeanddate.com, which has a good overview of supermoons here ». Here's how timeanddate.com's Supermoon article defines syzygy:
In astronomy, the term “syzygy” refers to the straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies, which also occurs during a full moon.
According to EarthSky.com, astronomers simply called the event a "perigee full moon" or "perigee new moon" before "supermoon" showed up (a new moon is the opposite of a full moon – you can't see the moon at all during a new moon).
When does Supermoon 2014 actually happen?
The August 2014 full moon happens at the same time all over the world. What time that is depends on your time zone. In Springfield, Massachusetts, for example, it's exactly full at 2:10 p.m. on Aug. 10. In Springfield, Oregon, the time difference makes it 11:10 a.m., also on the 10th.
In Springfield, South Australia, a ritzy suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide, the Supermoon is full on Aug. 11 at 3:40 a.m.
You won't be able to see the exact full moon on Sunday in Massachusetts because it won't rise until early evening. Moonrise – Supermoonrise – here in Springfield is at 7:41 p.m. on Sunday, according to timeanddate.com. The moon travels across the sky for a little more than 11 hours, setting at 6:58 a.m. on Monday morning, the 11th. In our other Springfields:
- The moon rises at 8:12 p.m. Sunday and sets at 7:25 Monday in Springfield, Oregon
- It rises at 6:26 p.m. and sets at 7:36 a.m. in Springfield, South Australia
You can follow links on timeanddate.com to find out when the moon rises and sets in your city or town, or someplace close to it.
Where can you see the August 2014 Supermoon?
You can see the Supermoon from wherever you are if the sky is clear. The moon always rises in the east. It'll look its most super when it rises or sets. According to a NASA.gov article titled "Three Supermoons in a Row (more on that later in this article):
The illusion occurs when the Moon is near the horizon. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. When the Moon illusion amplifies a perigee Moon, the swollen orb rising in the east at sunset can seem super indeed.
So, will that sky be clear for those of us in Massachusetts? Clear skies are in the forecast, according to meteorologist Mike Skurko of CBS 3 Springfield, the media partner of The Republican / MassLive. Other Springfield forecasts from timeanddate.com:
Live coverage
The Slooh Community Observatory will have live "Mega-Moon" coverage beginning Sunday at 7:30 p.m. EDT here »
When's the next Supermoon?
If you can't make the August 2014 Supermoon, you won't have to wait long for another, according to NASA. The next full moon, on Sept. 9, will also be a supermoon. In fact, NASA says, the August supermoon is the middle of three supermoons in a row, but will be the most super because perigee occurs in the same hour as the full moon (the supermoons of July and September took or will take place on the same day as perigee).
However, not every agrees that next month's full moon will be a supermoon. Timeanddate.com says the next one will take place on Sept. 27, 2015. The website uses this criterion for supermoon qualification:
If a full moon is closer than 360,000 kilometers (ca. 223,694 miles) at perigee, it is considered a supermoon
Want to know more about the moon and its phases?
Here are some resources for more information about the moon and its monthly orbit around our planet:
"Understanding moon phases" from EarthSky.org »
"Earth's Moon" from NASA.gov »
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