When can you see the largest moon? Where is the moon the biggest?

If you live in the western United States, you simply can't miss this major astronomical event in just a few days. If your homeland is another country, but you still want to take a look at such a rare lunar phenomenon, you may need to hurry up and buy a plane ticket.

Triple combination

The last time the blood moon shone in the sky was March 31, 1866. Now, a little over 150 years later, something similar is expected. And even more than that.

In fact, a rare phenomenon that is eagerly awaited not only by astronomers, but also by other lovers of celestial bodies, is a combination of three events.

This is not only a supermoon and a blood moon, but also a blue moon.

Supermoon

Residents of the Earth can observe this phenomenon when full moon is as close as possible to our planet. Then our natural satellite looks especially bright and large. This approach to the Earth enhances all visual effects of the Moon by 14%.

The first supermoon of the year was visible on January 1-2. The expected event will be the second. That is why the moon is also called blue, because this will be the second full moon in a month, which is quite rare. This phenomenon occurs only once every 2.7 years.

During this process there will also be lunar eclipse, which will cause a “super blue blood moon.”

When an eclipse occurs, the Earth will position itself between the Sun and the Moon, blocking all sunlight from our satellite. This will give the Moon a copper-red hue.

Where and when can you see

According to NASA, this phenomenon can be noticed on January 31 before sunrise in Alaska, North America and Hawaii. And during moonrise, this event can be observed in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, New Zealand and eastern Russia.

The most striking and impressive effect of this phenomenon can be seen in Hawaii, Alaska and the West Coast. In the east it will be more difficult to observe the moon, and therefore you should not expect such vivid impressions. The eclipse will begin at 5:51 a.m. ET. Then the Moon will appear in the western sky, and the eastern one will brighten, making observations difficult.

Therefore, for residents of the East Coast, it is advised to climb to a height with an open view to the side where the sun rises, and observe from 6:45 in the morning.

However, the Moon will still give the most best review of its incredible beauty for areas such as New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, and East and Central Asia.

At the end of 2016, several astronomical phenomena can be observed from the surface of the Earth in the night sky at once, with the naked eye. The closest of them is the supermoon on November 14 (in Moscow its peak occurred at approximately 17:00). The Moon and Earth have approached each other to a minimum distance. It is known that the earth’s satellite moves along a somewhat elongated, elliptical orbit and because of this it regularly finds itself either closer or further from its host planet.

For astronomers, there is little remarkable in this event: this happens every year, and more than once. However, this time the lunar disk seemed especially large and bright. In regions where the night sky was not overcast, an attentive observer might have noticed that already on November 13 the Moon was quite large, and on November 14 its size was at its maximum. Depending on the point of view, the Earth's satellite appears 14% larger and 30% brighter. The previous time such an effect was observed was in 1948, and it will repeat itself only 28 years later.

Looks like Luna has gotten fat

Interest in supermoons has undoubtedly increased. Users social networks They try not only to see the phenomenon with their own eyes, but also to capture it in photographs. Expectations to get a special photo are often not met. “The Moon is like the Moon,” say those who saw pictures taken during the last supermoon. The fact is that the Moon will seem largest to those who observe it closer to the horizon - at this point the size of the satellite seems much larger than at the zenith. This effect was called the “moon illusion.” There is no comprehensive explanation for the illusion yet, but scientists agree that it is due to the peculiarities human perception. A person evaluates the size of objects around him in different ways, including comparing them with each other. Thus, the size of the Moon may appear different: above the horizon, where it can be compared with objects of familiar size, it is larger, and high in the sky it is smaller. Therefore, photographs in which the satellite of our planet is not adjacent to any object of known dimensions are perceived without much enthusiasm. There are tens of thousands of such pictures on the Internet, and there is nothing truly interesting in them.

Don't grab your head

Like many natural phenomena, the supermoon is surrounded by a lot of fiction. There are, for example, popular belief that the full moon, and especially the supermoon, can provoke madness and mental attacks. Some even believe that the supermoon is a harbinger of the end of the world. Regarding natural disasters, then the only thing that threatens the current rapprochement of the Moon and the Earth is a slightly greater intensity of sea tides, which the satellite of our planet has a direct influence on.

The question of how the Moon affects people’s mental health is considered virtually resolved. One of the largest analytical work on this topic was published back in 1985. Scientists compared 37 different studies on the influence of the Moon on human behavior. The analysis took into account the phases of the moon, gender and place of residence of the study subjects. Also, when reviewing the work, scientists paid attention to signs of changes in mental state: calls to helplines, seizures, admission to psychiatric dispensaries. As a result, no significant difference was found in the number of mental state disorders in people during different phases of the moon.

Leonids and Geminids in the December sky

The supermoon is not the last astronomical event this year. Just a few days after it, on November 18, if the weather is good, another meteor shower can be observed - a meteor shower called the Leonids.

And as if especially for those who did not manage to see the supermoon in October and from whom thick clouds will hide the Moon in November, this event will repeat again in mid-December. But the December supermoon will not allow us to fully appreciate the magnificence of another meteor shower, whose name is the Geminids. Due to the brightness of the Moon, only about a dozen “shooting stars” can be seen in an hour, while on a new moon up to 100 meteors can be seen in the same time.

Elena Smotrova

Everyone is interested in space, everything that is not possible to touch is fraught with some kind of mystery.

Wherever you look in the Universe, there is infinity!

Many would like to know whether there is an edge to the Universe? How far do the cosmic recesses extend? With a high probability we can say that knowledge has no boundaries, just as space and the Universe have no boundaries!

Why does the moon sometimes seem so big and bright? Everything is easy to explain, sometimes the Moon becomes in its orbit very close to the surface of the Earth, and then it is a third larger becomes, and sometimes it is removed and it seems that she becomes less. Next Saturday, namely tomorrow, you will be able to see the super big Moon, don’t miss this spectacle, the Moon will be very big. In astronomy textbooks, such a Moon and the event itself are called a “Supermoon.” Few people are generally interested in such an event, although the most inquisitive are still trying to find out how such an approach of the Moon will actually affect their well-being and the Earth itself. The brightness of the Moon is affected by its percentage of the visible part and the hidden part when the Moon becomes strictly in line with the Sun and Moon and becomes so that on the one hand, that is, the Earth becomes between the Sun and the Moon, then the Moon is not visible at all for a short time, but this time is so short that we don’t even notice. When the Earth is on the side of the line, and the Moon is in the middle, then you can catch a Solar Eclipse. This is when the Moon with its disk covers the disk of the Sun for some time, only the crown of the Sun is visible. Well, this is all understandable and clear. As for the big Moon, as soon as it appears from the east, the Sun will just hide in the West. Some time has passed and the Moon and the Sun change positions, the Moon now sets in the west, and the Sun rises in the east. The system is constantly in rotation, the Earth around the Sun, the Sun around the center of the galaxy, and the Moon around the Earth. The moon this Saturday will be constantly growing in the disk, this will be its peak growth, moments before the full moon the Moon will be the largest and brightest object in the night sky. The full moon cycle occurs every 29.53 days. The moon does not rotate in a strictly circular orbit; it is slightly elongated. At first, the Moon is very close to the Earth and this point is called perigee by astronomers, and then it gradually moves away and when it reaches its maximum distance, this point is called apogee. So it turns out that if you say smartly, then the Moon’s perigee will be on August 30, or more simply, the Moon will approach very close to the Earth. Physicists have measured this distance more than once and it is approximately equal to 358,290 km. How the moon is closer to Earth, the stronger its influence on the planet, the tides are stronger, and the influence on the weather increases noticeably. Sometimes, very rarely Moon becomes it’s very close, this happens once every 18 years, then the tides are simply huge, the next such strong tides will be in the spring of 2033. If you don’t see the big Moon tomorrow, then you can look at it in September on the 27th, although it will be a little smaller, you won’t see the difference, it will be just as big and bright as this time.

Super big moon

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Space exploration

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Scientists previously believed that radiation kills all living things, but in reality everything turns out to be the opposite, radiation promotes everything, makes everything mutate and develop to adapt to the world around us. It is probably radiation that will become an important aspect in which life is possible on our neighboring star systems....

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“Nothing lasts forever under the moon,” says the famous expression. But the Moon itself is eternal, at least for humanity, which at all times has observed the night sky with the fascinating satellite of the Earth located on it. To this day, it has no competitors in the sky at night. It's no secret that this pale yellow disk looks completely different at sunset, midnight and towards morning, which causes much debate about the reasons. People never tire of arguing about where the lunar disk shines brightest. In order to understand where the Moon is largest, you need to understand a little more in detail not only in astronomy, but also in physics.

Approaching and moving away, changing size, influencing living organisms, ebb and flow - which of this is true and which is fiction can be understood only after you have sorted out all the arguments in detail.

"When the trees were big..."

For many years, people have been trying to find the answer to the question of which country has the largest lunar disk. Some try to reduce the search coordinates even to a city or a specific region. For a long time it was believed that the size of this celestial satellite varies depending on which geographic latitude the country is located. You can often hear that people vacationing in Turkey, the Caucasus, and Africa saw in the evenings a lunar disk of incredible size, which is impossible to observe at home.

Psychologists answer this question in a friendly chorus of voices, talking about the unusual effect of perceiving reality during rest. The moon appears large for several reasons. Firstly, on vacation people have the opportunity to enjoy the view of the evening sky every day. Few people find time for this in the bustle of city life. Secondly, vacation is emotionally colored in the most rosy tones, which leads to the effect of “sticking out” all memories. Human memory tends to exaggerate everything that happened at that moment. Moreover, the more often a person remembers what he saw, the more the memory distorts the memories. At the same time, there is no intentional lying, the brain actually reproduces a picture in which the Earth’s satellite was large, and perceives it as real.

Prosaic reasons

Psychologists and physicists are not far behind. They argue that the Moon can indeed be perceived by a person in a vacation spot as a large celestial body for reasons that are understandable from a scientific point of view. At resorts, people try to choose the most favorable angles to enjoy the night sky: from the shore they look towards the sea, and in the mountains they gaze at the very heights.

This leads to the fact that all other light sources remain outside the field of view, which is why the sky becomes convex. The stars are more clearly visible on it, twinkling with different intensities, and the Moon looks as bright as it cannot shine in any of the megacities. IN big cities its light is drowned out by lanterns, lights of multi-storey buildings, billboards, advertising signs, etc. She simply pales against the background of illumination, so she does not attract such attention to herself.

Close to the horizon

The size of the Earth's only satellite has always been given great attention. Still, this is a very large celestial body, emitting light that has no alternative at night. Constant changes in shape and size have surprised people since ancient times. When people did not have answers why sometimes the light circle is small and sometimes very large, they tried to understand this with the help of a special view of the universe, in which all inanimate objects were endowed with the properties of living beings. The Earth's natural satellite was no exception.

Over time, the approach has changed; the science of astronomy has emerged, attempting to study in detail changes in the size of the planet’s natural satellite. In the 4th century BC. Aristotle explained that the disk appears largest at the horizon due to the magnification caused by the Earth's atmospheric layers. This scientist, who was ahead of his time in various sciences, understood and proved that the real parameters remain unchanged. Modern astronomers know very well that such a statement was only half true, since the atmosphere affects the brightness, but this does not apply to size in any way.

Moreover, modern research show that the Moon optically becomes 1.5% larger when it rises significantly above the horizon. This is explained by the fact that at the moment it is near the horizon, the distance to the observer is 1 radius of the Earth greater than at the moment when the lunar disk rises high into the sky.

Mind games

Ophthalmologists were able to measure that the lunar outlines, focused on the retina, at any angle of incidence, form an image measuring 0.0015 cm. That is, there is no significant difference between the position of the lunar disk. The whole mystery is that the brain interprets and processes the data received differently. What makes him deceive himself?

Numerous studies have found that the perception of the position in which the Moon is large and in which it is small depends on various factors. Perception changes even depending on the position of the observer: standing, sitting or lying. But the main reason is that closer to the horizon, other objects appear in the field of view, which, as it were, record the size of this celestial body and allow it to be compared with themselves. The proximity of buildings, trees, various structures on the horizon, always closer to the observer, forces the brain to instantly compare sizes, even if a person does not think about it at all. Being high in the sky, the Moon appears smaller simply because the brain cannot find something to compare its size to.

Close or big?

There is another phenomenon related to the question of where this celestial body appears largest: near the horizon or in the central part of the sky. All people are divided into two approximately equal groups. The first of them states that the lunar disk appears large at the horizon. Representatives of the second group believe that it does not seem large, but seems closer.

Everyone can independently conduct such an experiment on themselves: in the evening, to do this, you should go out and look at the Earth’s satellite, reflecting on whether it looks close or large.

Like in the movies

Many people have a false impression about the size of the Moon in other countries thanks to cinema. A huge white and yellow disk in the night sky is a mandatory attribute of almost every picture in which the silhouettes of the main characters stand out in contrast against the background of the mysterious moonlight. The American dream factory is especially guilty of this, which is easy to see after watching at least a couple of romantic films.

This fact some time ago even gave rise to the myth that the Moon in America is the largest, brightest and much more spectacular than in other places. In fact, this is not the case, as any person, even remotely connected with the film industry, will say. Such artificial enlargement has the sole purpose of achieving a beautiful, memorable picture. The famous director Max Nichols, who has several famous romantic comedies to his credit, was asked by journalists in one of his interviews: how to real life find the same beauty? He replied that for this it is enough to simply look at the Moon with your loved one, and if it is not big enough, you should move on to kissing.

How to check

For those who still doubt the size, scientists suggest using several illustrative experiments. Anyone can install them because they do not require deep knowledge of astronomy or special equipment.

Firstly, you can take regular photographs at the moment when the disk just rises above the horizon and after a short time when it rises higher. The main condition: you should shoot from the same place, without using camera zoom. Then you can print out the pictures and compare whether any of the circles are larger or smaller.

Secondly, the illusory nature of the effect is easily verified using an ordinary coin. This is done like this: you should hold a coin in your outstretched hand, covering the celestial body with it. One eye must be closed tightly for the image to be captured. After waiting half an hour, the same experiment is carried out with a disk that has already moved away from the horizon. This immediately shows that the relative size remains constant, only the perception changes.

For such an experiment, you can use a sheet of paper rolled into a roll. If you look only at the Moon through such a “spyglass,” you will notice that without surrounding objects it becomes neither larger nor smaller as it moves away from the horizon.

Sometimes the Moon really looks big due to its proximity to our planet. Scientists call the phenomenon when this celestial body comes as close as possible to the Earth as perigee. At this time, all astronomers can examine the details lunar landscape as clearly as ever. This happens approximately once a year. Each Supermoon is different because the distance at which the natural satellite approaches Earth is slightly different each time. This parameter is influenced by the gravitational field that is created in our system by its center - the Sun. The weaker this field is, the closer the satellite can approach and the larger its disk can appear. The lunar orbit becomes uneven and deformed.

Many people worry that the Supermoon will affect their condition. In fact, such fears are unfounded. Doctors have long proven that the Supermoon does not aggravate chronic diseases, much less cause new ones. Most often there are rumors about disorders in nervous individuals and mentally ill people. However, the criminal chronicle does not confirm in any way that this period differs from others in the number of crimes.

Psychiatrists confidently express the opinion that a person with a weak psyche is capable of losing normal condition for any reason. If you repeat to him that the Super Moon is coming, and even worry about this in front of him, then the patient’s condition will worsen, but not at all because the Moon is big, but because of high susceptibility to other people’s anxiety.

Summer and winter

Scientists believe that in winter time the lunar disk appears larger than in the summer months. The most observant people can also notice this. It turns out that there is scientific explanation. The fact is that by comparing the orbits of the Earth and its natural satellite, you can see how exactly in winter they are closest to each other. The peak of intimacy occurs in December. The Earth's gravitational field causes the lunar orbit to bend slightly, so just before the New Year, full moons are the most impressive. Particular aesthetic pleasure can be obtained if a Supermoon falls on this month.

What happens next

Now is the best time to admire natural companion of our planet. Astronomers say the picture is gradually changing: the full moon will no longer be as impressive as the current generation may experience it. The gradual change in the lunar orbit is to blame for this. Every year it becomes more and more distant from the Earth. The annual distance is just under 4 cm, but this rate will continually increase every year.

Where is the moon the biggest?

2.4 (48%) 5 voters

The closest full moon since 1948 is expected to appear on November 14. When can she be seen? What exactly do you need to keep an eye on? Is the supermoon just a hoax? Below you will find answers to all questions.

On November 14, 2016, the Moon will come much closer to the Earth than it did on January 26, 1948. This event will combine both a full moon and a supermoon. Then this tandem can only be observed on November 25, 2034. This coincidence makes the upcoming full moon the closest and largest supermoon in 86 years! Here are 5 things you should know.

The moon will be equally amazing on November 13th and 14th

This is the first and most important thing you need to know. Many of the articles we looked at advised to look out for the supermoon on November 14th. But for most of us, especially those in America, the moon will remain the same size and brightness (if not brighter) on November 13th.

The fact is that the moon will reach the peak of its phase (and its closest point of the month - perigee) in the early morning of November 14, according to the time in the Americas.

So for all Americans, the Moon will be closest to Earth on the morning of November 14th, rather than in the evening. This means that for all time zones, including Alaska and Hawaii, the supermoon occurs closer to the night of November 13th. This is even better if you are a morning person and plan to watch the supermoon before dawn.

But don't worry about it. The moon will be large and bright on both nights. And everyone will be able to see and photograph this amazing spectacle.

Is the supermoon just a hoax? No

The term “supermoon” is a relatively new term. Before the name was popularized, astronomers often called this phenomenon a "perigee full moon." Catchy? Well, not really. Most people ignored it until a new term came along.

What's special about a supermoon? Finely tuned instruments (composite images) show that the supermoon is indeed closer to Earth. Thus, it is larger than the normal full moon.

But many of us, observing without the use of technology, cannot detect this difference. Meanwhile, experienced observers sometimes say they see this difference.

So, if most people can't tell the difference in size, then why are we all so excited about this event? There are two things you need to know.

First, for all of us, the brightness of the moon will increase noticeably during the formation of a supermoon. All full moons are bright, but the supermoon is noticeably different. So... pay attention to the brightness, not the hugeness, of the moon on November 13th and 14th!

Secondly, lunar gravity affects Earth's tides, and a supermoon (the full Moon closest to Earth) has a greater effect on the oceans. Therefore, the tides will be much higher at this time.

A supermoon can create super tides

So is the supermoon all the hype? Just ask the oceans! All full moons lead to high tides, called spring floods or, in some places, king tides.

The supermoon results in the highest and lowest tides.

If you live near the coastline, keep an eye out for high tides on November 14th. Continue monitoring for several days after the event. They may last a day or two.

Will high tides lead to floods? Most likely not. That is, of course, unless a strong weather system moves across the coastline to where you are. This happened with the tides after the supermoon in 2015. Then the supermoon, combined with the 18.6-year lunar cycle and a tropical storm, caused high tides and some flooding on both sides of the Atlantic.

So keep an eye on the weather on November 14 if you live near the coast. Storms do have a high potential to enhance high spring tides, especially if they are caused by a supermoon.

The nearest moon is almost always full

We're wondering...is this the closest moon (as a whole) since 1948, or the closest full moon? It turns out that these two events are usually one and the same.

Because of gravity and the intriguing interaction of the Sun, Earth, and Moon (and to a lesser extent, the planets), the closest perigee of any given year is often the one closest to the full moon.

For the moon to be full, the Sun, Earth and Moon must align so that the Earth is exactly in the middle. During this process, the tidal pull of the Sun and Moon combine to create far-reaching syzygies. And a full moon at perigee creates even wider perigee tides.

Ready for the technical details? Let's go!

In the diagram above, the line connecting the lunar perigee to the lunar apogee defines the principal axis of the Moon (the longest axis of the ellipse).

When the major axis (apogee-perigee line) of the Moon points toward the Sun (A and C in the diagram), the eccentricity (flatness) of the Moon's orbit increases to its maximum. Greater eccentricity shortens the perigee distance, increasing the apogee distance.

The “A” in the diagram is the new perigee moon (supermoon) and the apogee of the full moon (micromoon).

After 3.5 lunar months(approximately 103 days), at point "B" on the diagram, the main axis is at right angles to the Sun-Earth line. So the eccentricity is minimal. At such a moment, the lunar orbit most closely resembles a circle. This is the more distant perigee and the near apogee.

After 7 lunar months (206 days), the main axis again points in the direction of the Sun. Again, the eccentricity of the lunar orbit increases to a maximum, the perigee distance decreases, and the apogee distance increases. This is now the full perigee moon and the apogee of the new moon - "C" on the diagram.

Dates of the nearest/remote new/full moons in 2016:

• April 7: nearest new moon.
• April 22: distant full moon.
• Seven lunar months later:
• October 30: distant new moon.
• November 14: nearest full moon.

Supermoons have cycles

Great, now you know that everything in the sky has a cycle and the supermoon is no exception.

The closest full moons tend to repeat in cycles of 14 lunar (synodic) months. After all, 14 lunar months are practically equal to 15 returns at perigee (the closest point of the Moon to the Earth).

A lunar month refers to the period of time between successive full moons - an average of 29.53059 days. The anomalistic month refers to successive returns to perigee - 27.55455 days. Hence:

14 lunar months x 29.53059 days = 413.428 days

15 anomalistic months x 27.55455 days = 413.318 days

The full moon and perigee will realign again on January 2, 2018, because the 14th full moon after November 14, 2016 will fall on that date.

The Moon is closest to the Earth (table)

Year	Date	Distance
2011	March 19	356.575 km
2012	May 6	356.955 km
2013	June 23	356.991 km
2014	August 10	356.896 km
2015	September 28	356.877 km
2016	November 14	356.509 km
2018	January 2	356.565 km

Looking into the future, we see that the perigee of the full moon will come closer than 356.500 km for the first time in the 21st century (2001-2100) on November 25, 2034 (356.446 km). The closest full moon of the 21st century will fall on December 6, 2052 (356,425 km).